A New Life
by daryldixonlover18
Summary: Jenny Gilbert came across Rick and Daryl in a forest merely hours after being separated from her group. She joins their group, but when someone from her brutal past shows up, will she be able to overcome her obstacles and help keep the group safe? Rated M for swearing, rape and sexual content.
1. Close Encounters

**Hey everyone! This is my second fanfic and I'm really excited about it! Please review, and leave suggestions for the story. Enjoy!**

I had been running for hours, getting nowhere. I had no idea where I was going, or what I was going to do. I was separated from my group a few hours ago; we got overrun and pretty much everyone was dead. Now, I'm running through some forest hoping to find other survivors.

"Sophia!" I heard someone yell. It sounded like a man with a thick southern accent. I made my way over towards the voice. "Sophia!" He screamed again. I stopped behind a bush so I was well hidden, so I could see who this person was. I saw two men, the one who yelled had a crossbow in his hands, and he had short brown hair and light blue eyes. The other man was in a sheriff's uniform, and he had short dark brown hair. I figured I'd hide for a little while longer; I can't trust them. As I shifted my weight, a branch snapped from under my foot.

"Shit!" I whispered.

"Sophia?" The man with the crossbow called. After receiving no answer, he raised his crossbow and made his way over to the bush I was hiding behind. I decided to stand up and reveal myself.

I had my hands in the air and I stood up slowly. "Who the hell are you?" The man asked.

"I'm Jenny." I replied.

"Put all your weapons on the ground." He said.

"I ain't got any." I said. "I was separated from my group a few hours ago. We got overrun, and I got nothing now."

The man in the sheriff's uniform stepped forward. "I'm Rick, and this is Daryl." He said while pointing to the man with the crossbow. "Daryl, put your crossbow down, she's just a little girl."

The man named Daryl hesitantly put his crossbow down. "Where was your group?" Rick asked.

"Just outside of Atlanta. We had a little campsite, but all of a sudden a shitload of freaks appeared and for all I know I'm the only one that got out alive."

"We came from Atlanta; from the CDC. It's gone now." Rick said.

"Seems like everything's gone now, doesn't it?" I replied.

"Well, if you'd like you can come back to our group."

"Hold on a second." Daryl said. "We can't trust her! We don't even know her!"

"What do you think I'm going to do exactly?" I said.

"Daryl, relax." Rick cut in. "She's just a teenager, she's all alone and she's got nothing."

"If you don't want me in your group then I'll just look for another one." I turned around and started walking away. I felt someone grab my wrist and spin me around. I looked up to see Rick grabbing me, and I froze with fear. What if he was going to hurt me? This was a horrible idea.

He felt me tense up, so he let go of my wrist and I relaxed a little. "Don't be silly!" He said with a smile. "You're welcome to stay with us."

Daryl looked really pissed off, and started heading off in the opposite direction.

"Come on, our group's probably worried." Rick said.

Daryl was no longer in sight; he was really far ahead of us. Rick was trying to be nice, but I was still uncomfortable being with him. "So, how old are you?" He asked.

"15." I replied.

"I have a son that's about 12. He'll be happy to have another person around his age!" He looked sad for some reason. "We um… we just lost a girl, Sophia. She was my son's age."

"Is that who Daryl was yelling for?"

"Yeah, we just lost her. Our group's stopped on the highway and a huge herd passed by. A few walkers chased her into the forest and now we can't find her." Rick had a sad look in his eyes.

"I'm sorry to hear that." I said.

"Well, we're almost there." We continued walking for about 2 minutes until we reached the highway. Daryl was nowhere in sight, but I saw a lot of others staring at me and Rick as we made our way up a hill.

A lady with short gray hair looked hopeful, but then she started crying and ran away. We stepped over the guard rail and were surrounded by people. Rick walked over to a lady with long brown hair, and a boy younger than me and hugged them.

"Who the hell is this?" A man with curly brown hair asked.

"This is Jenny." Rick said. "We found her in the forest. Jenny this is Shane." He pointed to the man who asked who I was. He pointed to an Asian man, "That's Glenn." He said. "There's Andrea and Dale." He gestured towards a blonde haired woman and an old man with a white beard. He pointed at a large black man who was bleeding heavily from his arm. "That's T-dog." He said. "And this is my wife Lori, and my son Carl." He gestured towards the woman and boy he hugged earlier. Daryl stepped out of an RV and walked over to the crowd; he seemed like he calmed down a bit. "You already know Daryl. Carol's in the RV, she's the one with short gray hair." Rick said.

I stood there awkwardly, not sure what to do.

The silence was broken by Glenn, the Asian, who asked, "So… what happened to you?"

"Well I was with this group. We had a campsite but a few hours ago it got overrun, but somehow I got away. I had been running in the forest for hours when I came across Rick and Daryl." I explained.

"Maybe it was the same herd that passed through here." The woman named Lori suggested.

I was surprised. I didn't expect everyone to be so welcoming. The crowd dispersed, and the blonde woman, Andrea walked over to me. "Let's go inside the RV and get you cleaned up." She said.

We entered the RV and I saw Carol crying on the bed. Andrea led me to the bathroom, got a washcloth and wiped the dirt off my arms. "What happened to Carol?" I whispered.

"Her daughter just disappeared." Andrea stated.

"Oh, Rick told me a girl went missing."

We were silent then, and when she was finished cleaning me off she left the RV, leaving me alone in the bathroom. I stood there looking in the mirror, wondering how I got here. Not just here in the RV, but in this world. Before the world ended I never got into trouble, I was a good student, and I was nice to everyone. The apocalypse changed me though, now I was a bitch with trust issues. I suppose everyone has trust issues nowadays, but I still didn't like the person I turned into.

Lori poked her head in the bathroom. "Hi Jenny! Do you want to come out and join us?"

"Um, sure." I said.

We walked out of the RV and I saw that the whole group was gathered around one of the cars. "Shane, you and Glenn will go East, and Daryl and I will head West." I heard Rick say.

"Uh, what's going on?" I asked.

"Oh hi Jenny, we're just going out to look for Sophia."

"Do you want me to come too?"

"No, thank you. We've got it covered." Rick said.

Shane, Glenn, Daryl and Rick all disappeared into the forest. The boy named Carl came up to me. "Hi I'm Carl!" He said with a big smile on his face.

I smiled back at him. "I'm Jenny."

"So do you want to explore with me?" He asked.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" I looked at Lori for approval.

"It's fine, just stay within Dale's sight." She said.

"Alright, let's go Carl." We walked through the mess of cars, looking through them for any salvageable items. There wasn't much, just some old clothes.

"Jenny! Jenny, come look!" Carl yelled.

I ran over to him, and he was pulling a black bag out of a car with a freak in the driver's seat. "Be careful Carl! That freak could still be alive!"

"He's not, trust me. Is that what you call them, freaks?" He asked.

"Yeah, what do you call them?"

"We call them walkers, because all they do is walk around."

"That's true."

He finally got the bag out and opened it to reveal dozens of weapons. There were knives, guns, baseball bats, a lot of stuff.

"Oh my God!" I said.

"Can I keep one?" He asked me.

"You're going to have to ask your mom about that."

We carried the bag back to the group. "Hey guys, look!" Carl said.

Everyone was stunned by the weapons. It was nice to have a sense of security.

"Where did you find these?" Andrea asked.

"Carl found them in one of the cars." I explained.

"Mom, can I keep one?" Carl asked Lori.

"Absolutely not. You could hurt yourself."

"But please mom? I'll be careful I promise."

"No Carl. It's too dangerous."

Carl stormed off, unhappy. Then Shane, Rick, Glenn and Daryl stepped out of the forest. Carol came running out of the RV, only to be disappointed seeing that Sophia wasn't with them. When they saw the weapons they all looked shocked. "What's all this?" Rick asked.

"Carl and Jenny found them." Lori said.

"Well, it was really just Carl, you should thank him. I just carried them back." I replied.

The men still looked impressed. "Alright everyone take a weapon." Rick said. Everyone picked their weapon, but I didn't take any. "Aren't you going to take one Jenny?"

"Um, I guess." I picked up a long bladed knife, and slipped it into a holster that came with it. I wrapped the holster around my leg, so my knife was always with me. I looked up and saw Carl glaring at me.

"Dad, can I have one?" Carl asked.

"I already told you no." Lori replied.

"Your mom's right Carl, you could get hurt." Rick said.

"But Jenny gets to have one! She's only a few years older than me! And I found them anyway." He complained.

"She's still more responsible, and I'm sure she can handle a weapon. You're not getting one, end of discussion." Lori said.

Carl sighed angrily and walked off again. I followed him through the cars, and when I caught up to him he glared at me. "What do you want?" He said.

"Carl, I'm sorry about that. It's not my fault, I agree with you. You need to be able to protect yourself, they just don't see that."

He looked up at me, his expression changing from angry to forgiving. "Thanks Jenny." He said.

"No problem, now let's get back to the group." I said. We started walking back; we were pretty far out. Carl and I were separated by a car, but I kept an eye on him.

All of a sudden Carl started screaming and I looked over to see him lying on the pavement. A walker was grabbing his leg and was trying to bite him. I kicked into action, sprinting around the car. I could hear the group yelling for him, but I was just focusing on killing the walker. I grabbed my knife from the holster, and stabbed the walker through the head. I heard more growling and turned around to see two more walkers coming for us. I killed the first one, but my knife got stuck in its head. I was unarmed, and the walker was dangerously close. "Carl, run!" I yelled at him. He ran as fast as he could while I distracted the walker. I ran around the cars trying to find anything I could kill it with. I finally found a decent size rock on the edge of the road, and I jumped at the walker and smashed it's skull in.

The group finally appeared, shocked at the sight of me and three dead walkers. Carl was crying and everyone was shocked. "You're welcome." I muttered under my breath. I stood up, pulled my knife from the walker's head, slipped it into the holster, and walked back to the RV, leaving everyone speechless.


	2. The Search Gone Wrong

I walked into the RV and went inside the bathroom. I washed all of the blood off of me, and sat down at the table. Rick walked in and sat down next to me.

"That was impressive." He said. "Thank you for saving my son."

"Don't worry about it. I was just doing what was necessary." I replied.

"But you still took down 3 walkers, one of them when you were unarmed."

"Well it was either kill or be killed, and I chose to be the killer."

We were quiet for a few moments, and then Rick said, "Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for saving Carl. I don't know what I would have done if anything had happened to him."

"No problem."

He stood up and walked out of the RV. I saw him walk over to the others and start talking to them. After a while I decided to join them.

"Jenny, just in time. We're going out to look for Sophia, do you want to come or stay here with Dale and T-dog?" Rick asked.

"I'll go, there's no use sitting around here doing nothing."

"Alright, we should head out."

Carl ran up to me and asked if I could stick with him. I figured he'd feel safe with me, considering that I just saved his life. It wasn't too far into the forest when we came across a tent.

"Carol, call out for Sophia. If she's in there, your voice is the one she'll want to hear." Rick said.

Carol walked a little closer to the tent. "Sophia? Sophia, it's mommy." No answer.

Rick and Daryl walked up to the tent. Rick gave Daryl a nod, and Daryl entered the tent. I could hear him gag as soon as he got inside. He exited the tent with a revolver in hand. "What's in there?" Glenn asked.

"Some guy, he opted out." Daryl replied.

Carol let out a sob, and we continued on our way. Suddenly there was a loud ringing sound. It sounded like… church bells. The group immediately started sprinting towards the noise, and we came across a small white church. Everyone ran towards it.

"This ain't the right church Rick, it's got no bell tower." Shane said.

The bells started ringing again, and Daryl went around the side of the church, pointing out a small black box that the bells were coming from.

"It's on a damn timer." Daryl said.

"Let's look inside anyway." Rick pushed open the tall wooden doors, and inside the church there were three walkers. Daryl, Rick and Shane killed them all, and we decided to take a break. I walked outside and sat on the steps. Cark sat down next to me and hugged me.

"Thanks for saving my life." He said.

I smiled and messed up his hair. "Don't worry about it."

"But it was so awesome! You just took them out no problem. You're such a badass!"

I let out a laugh, but it was cut off by Lori. "Watch your mouth Carl." She said and glared at me.

"Sorry mom." We sat there in silence until the group emerged from the church.

"Alright, we're going to split up. Shane and I are going to look around a little bit longer, everyone else head back to the highway." Rick said.

"I want to come too dad!" Carl said.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Rick replied.

"Come on, please? I want to help."

"Oh alright, come on buddy."

Shane, Rick and Carl disappeared into the forest and the rest of us headed back.

"So, where did you live before the apocalypse?" Andrea asked.

"Atlanta."

"How'd you get out? Atlanta's completely gone." Glenn said.

"Well, my dad didn't trust the safe zones. He said he knew that they would never last; it was just a pipe dream. My house was right on the edge of Atlanta so we stayed there, and when the city got destroyed we fled."

"And you found a group?" Lori asked.

"Yeah, we came across a camp right outside the city and we stayed there. It was safe until today when it got overrun."

"Hey, if you guys are done telling stories we're almost at the highway. You need to shut up anyway, you're gonna draw every walker to us." Daryl said.

All of a sudden we heard a gunshot. "What the hell?" I said.

"Why would they fire a gun?" Lori asked.

"Maybe they found a walker." Carol suggested.

"Nah, Rick wouldn't risk that for just one walker. They'd kill it quietly." Lori replied.

"Look, I'm sure everyone's fine. Let's keep walking; we're almost back at the highway." Glenn said.

Everyone went quiet. Nobody mentioned it, but I could tell everyone was freaked out by the gunshot. I looked around at everybody, but I couldn't see Andrea.

"Guys, where's Andrea?" I asked. Glenn opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Andrea's screaming. I sprinted towards her screams, and I saw her on the ground scrambling away from a walker. We were still pretty far away and I was scared that we might not get there in time. Right as the walker was about to bite her ankle, a woman with short brown hair came out of nowhere on a horse and hit the walker over the head with a baseball bat.

"Lori? Lori Grimes?" She asked.

"I'm Lori." Lori said.

"You need to come now! There's been an accident, Carl's been shot."

Shot? How could Carl have gotten shot? Lori mounted the horse, but Daryl interrupted her. "Hold on. You don't know this girl! You can't get on that horse!"

The girl said, "Rick said you got others on the highway? Turn around and go about two miles south, turn right on Miller Rd. and you'll see a mailbox on the side of the road, name's Greene."

And with that, Lori and the other woman rode off into the forest. I helped Andrea up, and we continued on our way to the highway, not sure what just happened.

When we finally reached the highway, Dale and T-dog were waiting for us.

"Where's Rick, Shane, Carl and Lori?" Dale asked.

"I don't know. Carl's been shot." Daryl said.

"Shot? What do you mean shot?" Dale replied.

"I don't know. This girl came riding on a horse out of nowhere and took Lori. She knew Lori's name, and Carl's." Daryl said.

"I heard screaming, are you all right?" Dale asked Andrea who walked into the RV not saying anything.

"She got attacked by a walker, it was close." I said.

Dale followed Andrea into the RV. "What do we do now?" I asked.

"We go to that lady's house." Glenn said.

"No! What if my baby comes back here and we're all gone? She won't know what to do!" Carol said.

Dale came out of the RV and overheard Carol.

"Carol, relax. We'll stay the night, and leave in the morning. If she doesn't come back, we'll make a sign and leave supplies for her. She'll be alright." Dale said.

"So we're just going to leave her out there overnight? She's just a little girl!"

"It's safer that way. We can't have everyone running off in the dark." Daryl said.

Carol sighed angrily and walked into the RV with Andrea. I walked over to a car and sat on the roof, watching the sunset. It was nice to have some peace and quiet, and it was just nice and peaceful for once.

"Jenny?" I turned around to see Daryl standing there.

"Yeah Daryl?" I asked.

"Uh, we're eating dinner if you want to join us."

"Ok, thanks. I'll be there in a minute." I smiled at him, but he looked away quickly. He glanced at me before walking back inside the RV. Well, that was weird.

I watched the sunset for another minute, admiring the beauty of it. I was hungry, so I went inside the RV to see what was for dinner. I sat down at the table and Carol placed a plate of some sort of meat and corn in front of me. It was the most amount of food I had for myself in a long time.

"Wow, you guys have this much food?" I asked.

"This is us on a bad day. We normally have more." Dale replied.

I looked at all of them in shock. I had gotten really skinny since the world ended, and the most amount of food I had in a day at my other camp was a spoonful of beans.

"What food did you have at your camp?" Andrea asked.

"Well, we didn't eat every day. They said we couldn't waste it, and we normally just had a small amount of beans."

None of them said anything; I think they were all shocked at how much I was underfed. "Here you'll be well fed." Dale said with a smile.

I dug into my food, appreciating the taste of actual meat. "What kind of meat is this?" I asked.

"Squirrel. Daryl hunts them." Carol said.

I looked at Daryl. "You hunt?" I asked him.

"Yeah." He replied. I could tell he didn't want to talk, so I just dropped it.

T-dog got up from the table and went into the washroom. "Guys, we need to get T-dog to that house. Maybe they have medical supplies." Dale said.

"What happened to him?" I asked.

"He cut his arm when the herd was passing by. It looks infected." Glenn replied.

"Why the hell didn't any of you say anything earlier?" Daryl said. He got up and exited the RV, and came back in with a bag full of medicine. "This was Merle's stash. He got some ecstasy, pot, don't need any of that. Here's some kick ass painkillers." He tossed them to Dale. "Oh and here's some antibiotics." He set them on the table, and put his stash back where he found it. Dale quickly gave the medicine to T-dog who swallowed it.

"We should still get him to the house." Dale said. Everyone except for me stared at Glenn.

"Oh come on! I want to stay here." Glenn said.

"Please Glenn? T-dog could get really sick." Carol said.

"Ugh, fine." Glenn and T-dog left the RV, got into one of the cars and drove off.

After that, everyone got ready for bed. Carol took the bed, Dale was keeping watch, Andrea was sitting at the table trying to figure out how to put her gun back together and Daryl was lying on the floor. I wasn't quite sure what I should do, so I climbed onto the roof to keep watch with Dale.

"You should get some sleep. I've got this covered." Dale said.

"No, I'm good. I'm not that tired." I replied.

I could tell he wasn't buying it. "You look exhausted."

"Well, I just don't really want to sleep right now."

I could feel Dale's eyes burning holes in the back of my head.

"Jenny, what's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing, I'm fine. I just have trust issues, that's all."

"We're not going to hurt you, you're safe here."

"Yeah, I've heard that one before."

Dale had a sad look on his face. "What happened to you?"

"Well, after I fled from Atlanta, we came across this group. Everything was fine until my dad died. I had nobody left, and I was really scared. The group was pretty much all men, and they…" I trailed off.

"They what?" Dale asked.

"I've said too much already. I need time to think." I climbed off the RV and walked far off from the group. I needed to get as far away from there as possible.

"Jenny! Jenny, wait!" I heard Dale call.

I didn't listen. I just kept walking, trying desperately to block the painful memories from my mind.


	3. Painful Memories

_**Hey everyone! Did you watch the new episode last night? I cried so hard :'( anyway, this chapter will be mostly a flashback chapter, but I'll add in current events! The flashbacks will be what happened to Jenny after her dad died. I warn you, it will not be pretty. So if you're a bit uncomfortable with a little sexual content, look away! I promise it won't be too bad though. I will gladly take any of your suggestions, so please review! Enjoy!**_

I walked farther and farther away from the RV and the others. I sat on top of a car roof, and the tears started to flow. This was the first time that I've been completely away from people and this is the first time I've had a chance to let it out. Then the flashbacks came…

_I walked back to my tent in shock. I can't believe my dad's dead. He was fine two minutes ago, but the walkers came out of nowhere and attacked him._

"_Hey, you okay Jenny?" Sam asked me._

_I didn't reply. I just walked into the tent my dad and I used to share. I sat on my sleeping bag for a long time, not responding to anyone. I just sat there and cried. I overheard a couple of men from the group talking._

"_What are we going to do with her?" Liam asked. "She's not talking to anyone, she's completely useless. Maybe we should just kill her."_

"_We can't kill her. She's just a teenager and she's been through a lot." Sam replied. _

_Sam was my closest friend in the group. He was only 2 years older than me, and he tried to protect me as much as he could._

"_We've all been through a lot! But we don't sit there crying our asses off!" Kyle said._

_Quite honestly, I was fine with them killing me. I had no one left. I was all alone in this cruel world with no one to turn to. I had nothing to live for, except maybe Sam. He was so kind to me, and I kind of have feelings for him. I don't care anymore though. They should just kill me._

_I got up and exited the tent, and they all looked shocked when they saw me._

"_Oh, Jenny! We thought you were sleeping." Kyle said._

_I ignored him. If they wanted to kill me let them kill me._

_We all ate our dinner, with me getting a smaller portion than everyone else. The leader of our group, Tom, said that since I was smaller, they should give me small portions. He was such an asshole. He always treated me like I was some low-life piece of shit._

_After I was done, I immediately walked back in my tent. I stayed awake for a few hours crying, but eventually I fell asleep._

_The next few days were quiet, and I was slowly starting to adjust. I started talking to people, and Sam made me feel a lot better. He always made me feel better when I was upset._

_One day, I saw some of the men packing a truck._

"_Jenny, just the person I wanted to see!" Tom said. "We're going scavenging, and we thought that maybe you'd want to come? It would be good for you to get out and do something."_

_I knew what they were doing though. They were planning on killing me. "Sure." I said. Even though I knew I would be dead soon, I didn't care. I wanted to be with my dad, mom, and brothers again._

_Before we left I ran up to Sam and hugged him. "Thank you for everything you've done for me. It meant a lot knowing someone actually cared about me. Thank you for always being there. I love you."_

_This caught him way off guard. I never told him I loved him before, and he looked really surprised. "Uh, yeah don't worry about it. I, uh, love you too I guess." _

_That was all I needed to hear. We got in the truck and drove for a few miles. There were a lot of men: Tom, Michael, Liam, Kyle, Simon, Ian and Steve. Tom stopped the car suddenly, and Michael pulled me out. _

"_Now Jenny, why have you been so upset lately?" Michael asked. All of the men were surrounding me now, and I figured this would be it._

"_My dad died dumbass." I replied in a sarcastic tone._

"_Well now, no need to be hostile." He took a step closer to me. "Listen, that pretty little ass of yours ain't gonna get you too far. Especially when you sit there blubbering like a baby all day long."_

_I backed away from him, but the men were closing in on me. "So Jenny, don't take this to heart. We just wanna have a little fun before we let you go." Michael said._

_He pushed me to the ground and got on top of me. I started to panic; this was not what I expected. If only my dad or Sam was here. He stroked my hair and smelled my skin. I tried to fight against him, but Liam and Steve held my arms down. _

"_We got a fighter, boys!" Michael yelled._

_He put his hand under my shirt, his hands making their way up to my bra. He slipped his hands under it, touching my bare breasts. "Stop! Please, stop!" I yelled._

"_Shut up!" He said, and hit me in the face. Tom put his hand over my mouth, cutting off my cries for help. Michael took my shirt off, and all the men whistled at me._

"_Now let's see what you got." Michael said._

_I kept struggling, but it was useless. Their grip was too tight, and there was no way I'd be able to escape. _

"_Struggling's only gonna make it worse, darling." He said. He unzipped my pants and slipped them off. I gave up fighting, knowing there was no chance of stopping what was about to happen. He unbuckled his pants too, and then he started. He raped me for a long time, and each of the men took turns. I tried to block it out, I tried to not think about what was happening to me, but it was just too painful. By the time they were done I couldn't move anymore. I was sore all over, and I just lay there on the ground._

"_Woo! Thanks girl that was fun." Ian said. "What do we do with her now?"_

"_Let's leave her. Let the biters get her." Tom said, and with that they drove off, leaving me crying by the side of the road. It took all of my strength to put my clothes back on, and every movement I made hurt. I didn't know what to do. I was unarmed, unable to move and scared. I climbed a tree nearby, and fell asleep. _

_The next morning I woke up, and judging by where the sun was I guessed it was about noon. I climbed down the tree, and walked down the road. It was hard to walk, but I just kept going._

_Not long after that, a van pulled up beside me. _

"_Hey!" A girl said. "Hey, you! HEY!" _

_I wasn't responding. I just kept walking._

_She got out of the van and chased me down the road. "Hey! Are you bit?" She asked me. I shook my head not saying a word. "Then what the hell happened? You look like shit!" _

_I still didn't say anything and she sighed impatiently. "Look, I'm not just going to leave you here, not in your condition. I have a group not too far from here, let me take you there."_

_She dragged me to her van and for the whole car ride I sat quietly and looked out the window. _

"_Are you going to tell me what the hell happened?" She asked. I shook my head again. "Are you ever going to tell me?" She asked and I shrugged. I probably will tell this girl, just not right now. I'm not ready to tell anyone about it yet._

_We finally reached her camp. Someone opened tall metal gates, and she drove inside to reveal a big stone building. "Here it is. It used to be a health clinic, so we have lots of supplies."_

_I got out and saw many curious faces looking at me. I cleaned myself up, not letting anyone near me, especially men. _

That was pretty much it. I joined their group and slowly started opening up to people. Elena, the girl who brought me there, was my closest friend. I even told her what those men did to me. After I told her, she never told anyone and we never brought it up again. I gained my happiness back, and learned to trust people. Everything was fine until the freaks came.

One morning, dozens of freaks appeared at the gates. They somehow found a way in, but I snuck out the back into the forest. From there I ran, until I bumped into Rick and Daryl.

The tears kept flowing from my eyes. It was hard to deal with the fact that I was raped by 7 men.

"What the hell are you doing out here?" Daryl said. I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes.

"Nothing." I said.

"It's obviously not nothing. What are you upset about?"

"It's just something that happened with my other group."

He climbed up on the car with me. "Someone die or something?"

"No. I just don't want to talk about it." He nodded and sat there in silence with me. "Why did you come out here?"

"I noticed you were gone. I wanted to make sure you didn't die or something."

I knew he was lying. "Dale sent you didn't he?" He blushed and gave a slight nod. "Look, I don't need you to look after me. I can take care of myself."

"Fine, be that way bitch." He said and got off the car. As soon as he was far away, I started sobbing again. I sat there for a few hours, staring into the distance. I felt tired, so I went back to the RV. I walked in avoiding everyone's curious glares. I lay down on the floor next to the bed that Carol was sleeping in and drifted off to sleep, grateful to escape the painful memories.


	4. Friendly Faces

When I woke, the sun was just starting to appear. I looked around to see everyone sleeping, but Dale was on the floor instead of Daryl. Daryl probably took over on watch. I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep any longer so I got up to get some fresh air. When I got out of the RV, Daryl looked downed at me and frowned. "Why are you up so damn early?" He asked, obviously annoyed that I interrupted his alone time.

"I couldn't sleep."

"Well you should be able to, considering you stayed up all night crying your ass off."

"Look, I'm sorry about last night. I know you were just trying to help and I shouldn't have been such a bitch." He nodded at me and decided I'd go for a walk.

"Where the hell are you going?" Daryl called out.

"Just for a walk to stretch my legs. I have my knife, and I won't go far." I continued walking and did some stretches. I was really cramped from sleeping in such an uncomfortable position. I circled around and headed back when I came across the three walkers I killed yesterday. I crouched down beside one of them, and searched its pockets. I pulled out a wallet and looked inside. "Jim Steele." I said aloud. I picked up what looked like a business card, and it turns out he was a lawyer. I moved on to the next body and pulled out its wallet. "Patrick Chenniry." I went over to the final body, but I couldn't find any identification. "Well, you're unnamed I guess." I stood up and took one last look at the bodies. "Rest in peace, even though you tried to kill me." I walked back and entered the RV to see Andrea up. "Hey." I said.

"Oh, you scared me! Hi Jenny." She replied.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to figure out how to put my gun back together."

"Here, let me show you." I picked up her gun and reassembled it within 30 seconds.

"Where did you learn to assemble guns?" She asked.

"My dad taught me. He liked to hunt a lot and he kind of had an obsession with guns. He taught me all about every gun he could think of, and he taught me how to use them."

"Can you teach me?"

"Of course." I spent the next 10 minutes teaching her how to put her gun back together. She kept messing up, but finally she got it. "Good, now do it a few more times." She did it about 4 times, getting better and better each time. She kept practicing until Carol woke up. "Morning Carol! I said. She smiled at me but I could tell she was still upset about Sophia. Dale woke up shortly after, and Carol made all of us powdered eggs. We sat down at the table and ate silently.

"We should head out after breakfast." Dale said. "They're probably getting worried."

We all nodded in agreement, but Carol still looked worried. "What are we going to do about my girl?" She asked.

"We'll make a sign and leave some supplies for her. We'll come back here every day to see if she showed up." Andrea said. Carol still looked hesitant, but finally agreed.

After we ate and cleaned up, we started getting ready to leave. "I'm just gonna comb the woods one more time before we go." Daryl said.

"I'll come too." Andrea replied.

"Me too. I can't stand to be here any longer while my daughter's out there alone." Carol said. I was about to volunteer to go too, but Daryl looked pissed so I figured I would stay back with Dale. They disappeared into the forest, leaving Dale and I behind.

Both of us climbed onto the roof of the RV to keep watch. Neither of us said anything until Dale broke the silence. "Are you going to tell me why you were upset last night?"

I sighed, "Dale, I really don't want to talk about it. I'm fine."

"It didn't seem like you were fine."

"Well I am, so can we please just drop it?" He did, and we sat silently until they got back after about 30 minutes of looking. I wasn't surprised that they didn't find her.

"Let's go." Daryl said.

We made a sign that said 'Sophia stay here we will come every day'. We left a few bottles of water, some dried fruit and granola bars for her. Daryl headed off on his motorcycle and Andrea, Carol, Dale and I were in the RV.

"So Andrea, what did you do before the apocalypse?" I asked.

"I was a civil rights lawyer." She replied. I couldn't help but think of the walker I killed and how he was a lawyer too. He was in a courtroom every day just like Andrea used to be.

"What about you Carol?" I asked.

"I was a housewife. I just stayed home, cooked and cleaned and looked after Sophia."

"How about you Dale?"

"I retired a long time ago. I traveled around quite a bit."

"What did you do Jenny?" Andrea asked.

"I was a sophomore in high school. My life was filled with homework, assignments and basketball. I loved basketball, I played every day."

"I used to play in high school." Carol said. Everyone looked at her shocked; I didn't take her as the type of person who liked basketball. "What? Don't look at me like that." She said.

Nobody said anything until we reached the farm. Andrea got out and opened tall wooden gates, and shut them once we were inside. We pulled up the long driveway and saw a beautiful white house. There was a barn on one side of the land horse stables on the other, and the whole place was surrounded by forests. They had a lot of land, and it would be nice to be able to move around. The rest of the group was sitting on the porch, and I saw the family that must live here.

We exited the RV and greeted everyone. "How is he?" I asked.

"He's going to be fine, thankfully." Rick replied.

"Thank God." Dale said.

Rick introduced us to the family that lived here. There was an old man named Hershel. The woman with short brown hair was Maggie. Patricia was a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, and there was a girl around my age whose name was Beth. "We have another member here; he's inside checking on Carl." Hershel said.

"How did Carl get shot?" Andrea asked.

"Carl, Shane and I were walking through the forest when we came across a deer. Carl walked up to it but got a little too close. A man—Otis—that lived here didn't see him, and the bullet passed through the deer and hit Carl. When we made it back here Shane and Otis went looking for supplies to help with Carl's surgery but Otis didn't make it back." Rick explained. The woman named Patricia started crying and ran inside the house.

"I'm so sorry to hear that." Dale said.

Just then I saw someone emerge from the house. He was tall and fit, had blonde hair and blue eyes, and he was wearing some worn out clothes. "Oh my God." I said. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy, but when he saw me he matched my shocked expression. The person on the porch was someone I never thought I'd see again, but there he was standing right in front of me. We just stood there staring at each other, and the group looked back and forth from me to him, confused. I couldn't believe who it was. It was impossible. It was Sam.

_**Hey everyone, sorry this chapter was short and boring. I promise the next one will be a lot better! I wanted to leave everyone with a bit of a cliffhanger. I'll try and update tomorrow but I'm not making any promises. I would really appreciate any feedback, so please review! Thanks for reading!**_


	5. The Unexpected Reunion

We stared at each other for a while longer until he walked down the porch steps. "Jenny." He whispered. He practically ran into my arms and he hugged me tightly. I was still in shock so I just stood there frozen in place. "I thought you were dead! They told me you died!" He broke the hug and stared at me intently, waiting for an explanation.

"Th-they lied." I stuttered.

"What the hell happened then? They said they got overrun and you didn't make it."

I glanced around to see everyone staring at us. "Um, they… uh…" I couldn't tell him what happened, not with everyone looking at me. "Can we talk about this later? Somewhere private?" He looked very confused, but he agreed. "What happened to you, Sam?" I asked.

"One night we were just about to get some sleep when a whole bunch of freaks came. They ate a lot of people. Tom, Liam, Steve, Ian, Jack, Stefan and a bunch of others." I cringed at the sound of their names. "I ran like hell and ended up here and Hershel and his family took me in."

"What about Kyle, Michael and Simon?"

"They died too; almost everyone did."

"Good." I muttered under my breath. Sam overheard me though, and grew even more confused.

"What did they do?"

"Nothing, it's fine."

"Jenny, I could tell they did something! What did they do?!" I was frightened by his tone and I took a step back.

Rick stepped in-between Sam and I. "Listen, can you guys finish this peacefully? Obviously you two have some things you need to talk about but maybe you should talk this through another time." He said.

"Fine, I'm going to see Carl." I said and stormed off into the house. I looked around until I found the room that Carl was in. He was in a large bedroom just around the corner from the front door. He was lying on clean white sheets, and I sat down in one of the chairs next to the bed. I sat there for a while, watching him sleep. He was finally starting to stir, and he opened his eyes and looked at me.

"Jenny?" He said.

"Hey, I'm here. Everyone's here now. How are you feeling?"

"It hurts."

"Yeah, I bet it does. Just remember that you'll get through it." I smiled at him and he smiled back.

"Can you get my mom and dad?" He asked.

"Of course." I got up and looked around for Rick and Lori. I saw them talking on the porch, but they didn't see me. I heard Rick say my name so I listened in on their conversation.

"What do you think that was about?" Lori asked.

"I don't know. They obviously know each other from somewhere, and we're going to have to find out how they know each other." Rick replied.

"I'll try to talk to her and find out what happened." Lori paused for a moment, "What do you think happened to her? The men from her past group obviously left her somewhere and lied about it."

"I don't know they could have done anything to her."

I heard footsteps behind me and spun around to see Daryl standing right behind me. "You know, it's rude to eavesdrop." He said.

"I know, but they were talking about me anyway." I replied.

"It's still rude." He said. "So where's that guy from?"

"He was part of my first group."

"What did they do to ya?"

"Nothing, everything's fine." He could tell I was lying, but he just rolled his eyes and walked out the door. I followed, and Rick and Lori immediately stopped talking when they saw me.

"Jenny, what's up?" Rick asked.

"Carl's asking for you." I replied. Rick and Lori rushed into the house. I sat on one of the white chairs on the porch. I noticed Sam walk out of the stables. He saw me and made his way over to the porch.

"Jenny!" He sat down in a chair next to me. "Can you tell me what happened to you?"

I sighed and rolled my eyes. I'm tired of everyone asking what happened to me. I decided to tell him, since he was my only friend. "Well, you know how they said we were going scavenging?" I asked and he nodded. "It was a lie. They took me out and they…" I trailed off again; it was hard to say it out loud. "They raped me."

I couldn't even look at him. "They what?!" He said.

"They drove for a long time, but they stopped the car and pulled me out. I thought they were going to kill me. They, uh, they took turns. Then they left me by the side of the road." I felt a tear roll down my cheek. I looked up at him to see that he had tears in his eyes too. He looked at me in such shock and despair.

"Oh my God. Jenny, I'm so sorry! I should have known they were going to do something to you, I was so stupid! Oh God Jenny, I'm just so sorry!"

I tried to calm him down. "Sam, it's not your fault!"

"Yes it is my fault! I should have gone with you, or stopped you from going!" He stood up from his chair and started pacing back and forth.

"There's nothing you would have been able to do to stop it! I'm over it now, it happened a long time ago. I guess I just shut it out."

"For God's sake Jenny, they raped you!" He was screaming now.

"Shh! Quiet down, people are going to hear you!" I walked over to him and touched his arm, but he jerked it away from me.

"No! Jenny, I should have been there for you!"

"It's alright Sam. I'm okay now, I'm here with you and I'm not going to get hurt like that again." I hugged him and he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close. He rested his head against my shoulder, and I nuzzled my face into his neck. I opened my eyes and noticed Glenn standing nearby. I could tell by the look on his face that he heard everything. I broke away from Sam, and he noticed Glenn too. I ran down the porch steps. "Glenn, please don't tell anyone!" I pleaded. He looked just as shocked as Sam was. He didn't say anything. "Glenn, please!"

"I won't." He said quietly. It was all he was able to say before he turned around and walked to his tent. Great, now Glenn knew about it too. I turned around and walked back over to Sam. He still looked upset so I hugged him again. As we were hugging, Lori stepped out onto the porch.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She said. "I didn't mean to interrupt."

I quickly wiped the tears from my face. "No, it's fine. We're done anyway."

Sam nodded and walked back into the house. I walked down the steps and Lori followed close behind. "Hey, Jenny!" She called out.

"Yeah?" I replied.

"I just wanted to ask you something. How do you know that guy?"

"You mean Sam? He was a part of my first group before I got… separated from the rest of them."

"Oh." She said. "What were you talking about earlier? You said they lied about something? Sorry, I don't mean to bother you it's just-"

I cut her off mid-sentence. "Well you are bothering me Lori! I know you're just asking me about this so you can go tell Rick and the others about me. Why can't all of you just leave me alone?!" I screamed and stormed off. I walked straight into the RV and walked into the bathroom. I slammed the door behind me, slid down to the ground and started to cry. I locked the door and held my knees to my chest. I sat there sobbing into my knees. Why did life have to get so hard? My life was so good before, and now I was all alone and scared. I heard a light knock on the door.

"Jenny?" I heard someone call. I couldn't quite tell who it was because they were speaking too softly for me to hear.

"Go away! Just leave me alone!"

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to see if you're okay."

"I said leave me alone!" I heard their footsteps get farther and farther away, and when it sounded like they were gone I started sobbing again. I sat there crying for a long time. I eventually stopped, but when I did I felt so tired and emotionally drained. I left the bathroom, walked into the bedroom and laid down on the bed. Thankfully, no one else was around so I had some peace and quiet. I just lay there staring at the ceiling, thinking about Sam, my dad, mom and brothers. I missed my family, but at least I had Sam now. I kept staring at the ceiling until I eventually drifted off to sleep.


	6. Betrayal

By the time I woke, the sun was already setting. I got up, stretched, and walked outside to look for Sam. I didn't see anyone so I thought I'd look inside the house. I walked in to one of the best smells I've ever smelled. It smelled like Thanksgiving dinner. I walked into the kitchen and saw Lori, Andrea, Carol, Maggie, Beth and Patricia cooking. "Hey, can I help with anything?" I asked.

Everyone looked up from what they were doing and stared at me. "Yeah, you can help Beth cut the carrots." Lori said. I walked over and started cutting, but everyone was still staring at me. I looked up but when I did they all got back to work. It was silent the whole time, and there was tension in the air.

"How's Carl doing?" I asked.

"Good, Hershel said he's recovering quickly and he'll be up and moving in a few days." Lori said.

"Good." I replied. That was the only conversation we had. When dinner was finished, we all sat down at the table and ate squirrel, potatoes and carrots. It was the best meal I had in a very long time. I practically shoveled everything down, not even looking up. It was still silent, and when I looked up everyone was staring at me again. I sighed, "Why the hell does everyone keep staring at me like that?"

Everyone put down their forks and looked at me. "We know what happened." Rick said. My eyes grew wide and anger filled me.

"You told them?!" I asked Sam who quickly shook his head. The only other person that knew was Glenn, so I glared at him. "You told them, didn't you?"

"Look, I'm sorry I just thought-"

I cut him off. "You thought what? I asked you to keep a secret and you betrayed me! God, I can't trust anyone at all anymore. Why the hell would you tell them anyway? It's none of their damn business!" I stood up from the table and ran out of the house. I ran down the porch and into the forest.

"Jenny! Jenny, please wait!" I heard Sam call. I could tell he didn't know which way I went. I ignored him, walking deeper and deeper into the forest, not caring that it was night and all I had to defend myself was a knife. I heard a few others run out of the house. I didn't care about them anymore. I never should have joined the group anyway, I'd be better off on my own. I was so far out that I couldn't hear their voices or see the lights from their house. I leaned up against a big tree and sat down. I was so tired of everything. I was tired of the lies, of running, of the dead trying to eat me, and most of all I was tired of feeling alone. Maybe it would be better if a walker got me. Maybe it would be better if I wasn't on this planet anymore. These thoughts filled my mind as I drifted off to sleep.

.

I woke to someone shaking me. I opened my eyes and saw Daryl and T-dog hovering over me. I groaned and rubbed my eyes. "What do you want?" I asked, still a bit groggy. It was still night time, and I probably hadn't been sleeping for very long.

"Hey, let's get you back to the group. Everyone's worried about you." T-dog said.

"No. Just leave me here." I said.

"We're not gonna leave you here. It's late and who knows what's out there. You could get bit." T-dog replied.

"Then let them bite me. I want to die anyway; it would be better that way. Just go."

"Damn girl, I'm sick of all this fucking drama! Get your ass up and let's go back to camp!" Daryl said. He grabbed my arm and pulled me up, dragging me back to the house. I tried to protest but it was no use. He wouldn't lighten his grip on my arm until we reached the house. Everyone was out on the porch waiting. As soon as we were in sight, Sam ran down the porch and hugged me. I didn't hug back; I just stood there.

"Why would you run off like that?" He asked.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because I was betrayed and now everyone knows my secret?!"

Daryl stormed past me and walked straight to his tent. T-dog walked over to the others, but Glenn ran up to me. I glared at him, "What the hell do you want?" I spat.

"Listen, I would have told you this earlier if you hadn't of ran off." He said.

"Tell me what?"

"I didn't tell the group that you were… you know… I just told them your old group left you behind."

When the words sunk in, I felt guilty for running off and causing such a scene. "Oh." I said quietly. I looked at the rest of the group who were staring at us with curious faces. I felt extremely embarrassed; the group probably thought I was some crazy attention whore. I felt myself blush so I walked back to my tent. Of course, Sam followed me. We both entered the tent and sat down next to each other.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"No. I'm so embarrassed! Why did I have to run off like that without giving anyone a chance to explain? Ever since I got here I've just caused trouble."

"Hey, don't say that! They know you've been through a lot, and nobody blames you for being upset. When you left, everyone was so worried. All they cared about was finding you. Glenn felt so guilty. Everybody felt guilty."

I just sat there and stared at him. Finally I sprung into his arms, hugging him close. "Thank you Sam. Thank you for always being there for me. You're the only person who was ever really there for me. After my dad died you tried to help me and I am truly grateful for that."

He hugged me back, pulling me close to him. "You know that I'll always be here for you. I was so upset when I found out you were gone, and finding you today was like a miracle. Please promise me that you'll never run off like that again."

"I won't, I promise." We sat there hugging each other, and I felt safe in his warm, strong arms. I never wanted this moment to end. He let me go and my heart broke a little inside. I wanted to stay wrapped in his arms forever. He looked into my eyes and I looked into his.

"Did I ever tell you I love your eyes?" He asked. I shook my head, "Well I should have. I love your big brown eyes."

"And I love your soft blue ones." I replied.

Suddenly we heard someone outside of our tent, and we quickly let go of each other and scooted far apart. "Uh, Jenny?" Rick said. I climbed out of the tent to see Rick, Lori and T-dog standing there. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm really sorry about running off like that. It won't happen again."

"Don't worry about it. We're all just glad you're safe." Rick said.

"No, really, I'm truly sorry. I feel like I've caused a lot of trouble, and I'll stay out of your way from now on." I said. Rick nodded, turned and walked back to his tent while Lori followed. T-dog climbed on top of the RV to keep watch, and from what I could see everyone else had gone to bed. The lights from the house were still on, and I could see Maggie looking out her window. I walked back into my tent and saw Sam sitting there quietly. I sat down next to him but he wouldn't even look at me.

"I know you probably don't want to talk about this, but I just need to know. Will you tell me exactly what happened?" He asked.

I sighed and began telling him. I told him every painful detail. I told him about them raping me, Elena finding me by the side of the road, me adjusting to her group only to be separated from them. Sam just sat there and listened to me. When I was finished we sat there in silence. "You look tired." He said. "You should get some sleep. I can stay here if you want."

I shook my head, "No, you should get back to the house. They're probably all worried about you." He nodded and starting climbing out of the tent. Just before he walked out of the tent, I said, "Thanks again."

He looked back at me, "No problem, good night." I then watched him walk across the field and into the house. I just kept staring at him, wanting him to stay. I desperately just wanted him to come back and wrap his arms around me. I wanted to feel his warmth as I fell asleep in his arms. But he was gone; he disappeared into the house for the night. He was gone, just like everyone else.


	7. Footprints

_**Hey guys. I'm really struggling with this story and I've been having some writers block. So I apologize if I don't update as regularly, and I'm sorry if these next couple of chapters are slow. Please please PLEASE review and leave suggestions, it would really help and I'd appreciate it! I hope I think of some other ideas for the story. Don't worry, I'm determined to finish it. Anyway, I would really appreciate your input and suggestions. Enjoy!**_

The next morning was quiet. We all sat around the fire eating breakfast, and after we were finished we all did our chores. I walked over to help Lori and Carol with the laundry. We walked down to the creek to wash it, and once we got there nobody said a word. Once I was finished with my share I helped Carol with hers. I sighed, "Look, you don't have to act that way. I'm truly sorry for running off and worrying everyone like that."

"No, it's not that. It's just… your group left you behind. Will you tell us what happened? Everyone's curious." Lori said.

"Um, okay." I said. I decided I would lie, because I still wasn't comfortable enough with this group yet. "Well we went on a supply run. We drove to an outlet mall just outside of the city. When we were in one of the department stores, a whole bunch of freaks came. We tried to get away, but they thought I wasn't going to make it so they left. I just kept running, and I lost most of the walkers. Just when I was about to give up a girl named Elena came and saved me and took me to her group. I was there for a few weeks, but their camp got overrun so I ran again, and that's when I found Rick and Daryl."

"But they just left you there to die?" Carol said. "They should have waited for you. Nobody deserves to get left behind."

"Yeah, I know, I'm over it now though." I replied.

We finished the laundry and headed back to the farm. Lori, Carol and I hung the laundry up on the clothes line, and when we were finished I decided to have a rest. I was about to enter my tent, but I saw Rick, Daryl, Shane, Andrea, Glenn and T-dog gathered around one of the cars. I walked up to them to see what they were talking about. "What are you guys doing?" I asked.

"We're going out to look for Sophia." Andrea replied.

"Can I come?" I asked.

Shane rolled his eyes, "It would be better if you stayed. We don't need you getting in the way and causing problems."

"But I want to help! I know how to use a gun and I'm light on my feet. I also used to do some tracking with my dad so I might be able to pick up a trail. Give me a chance, I won't hurt anybody."

Everyone looked hesitant. "I think she should come along. She taught me how to reassemble my gun and she could really help." Andrea said.

"Fine, you take her then." Shane said, obviously not liking the idea.

"Shane, relax. Of course she can help if she wants to." Rick said as he pointed to a map. "Daryl, you go north. Andrea and Jenny head west, Shane and I will go south. Glenn and T-dog, you guys head east."

Everyone nodded and headed off into the woods. Andrea and I walked for a while, stapling pieces of orange fabric to a tree every once in a while so we wouldn't get lost. We were just about to turn around and head back when I saw something on the ground. "Hey Andrea!" I called.

"Yeah?" She asked, and walked over to where I was standing. "What is it?"

"Do you see that?" I asked. She squinted to look at the ground. When she noticed it her eyes grew wide.

"Are those footprints?!" She said.

I nodded. "They came from someone small. The prints are light and tiny, but it looks like she was running. Come on, let's follow them." We followed the footprints, but after a while I noticed a second set of tracks. It looked someone—or something—was dragging their feet a stumbling. "Walker tracks." I said.

Andrea looked worried. "Don't worry; we'll keep following them until we find something." I assured her. She nodded, but she looked like she was going to pass out. "Are you okay Andrea?" I asked.

"Y-yeah." She stuttered. We followed the tracks a little longer. The tracks were getting more and more smudged, indicating that someone was running faster. We kept following the trail until we came across a large cornfield. I tried to see where the tracks went, but I couldn't see anything.

"Shit." I said. "I lost the damn trail."

Andrea put her hand on my shoulder. "It's okay. At least we found something. It's getting late, we should head back. We'll tell Rick what we found and continue the search tomorrow."

We walked back to the farm to see everyone waiting for us. We went over to Rick and the others. "Thank God, we were getting worried. Did you find anything?" Rick said.

"Yeah, we found a set of footprints." I replied. Everyone looked at me, shocked. "I saw them in the woods about 2 miles in. Andrea and I followed them but we lost the trail in a cornfield. Can I see the map?" Rick nodded and handed me the map. "So we were around here… there's the cornfield." I pointed to a spot on the map.

"Are you sure?" Lori asked.

"Well, not 100%, but I'm pretty sure."

"Alright, we'll pick it up from there in the morning. Thanks Jenny, that helps a lot." Rick said.

"It's a good thing she came with me. I don't think any of us would have spotted them." Andrea said. I felt myself blush.

Rick looked at me and smiled. "Yeah, it was worth it after all."

The group dispersed, but Carol came up to me. "Jenny? Thank you so much for looking for my daughter. You have no idea how much it means to me."

"It's no big deal. I was glad to get out and help." I replied.

"It's a big deal to me." She said and hugged me. I hugged her back, trying to reassure her.

"Don't worry, I promise I'll do everything I can to find her."

"Thank you so much." She said. I smiled at her before walking away. I walked back to my tent where Sam was waiting for me.

"Hey Sam. What's up?" I asked.

"You left! Again! Why would you leave without telling me first?" He asked.

"I'm sorry, okay? I didn't realize I had to report to you before doing anything."

"You just don't get it do you?" He yelled. "You keep running off! I got so worried today. I can't lose you again!"

I looked around and saw people staring at us. "Can we finish this somewhere else?" I asked. "Somewhere alone?"

"No! We're going to finish this right now!"

"Sam, you're overreacting! I just wanted to help look for Sophia. It's not a big deal, I can handle myself."

"I know you can handle yourself. I just wouldn't be able to handle it if I lost you. I already lost you once."

I was speechless. "I didn't know you cared so much about me." I said quietly. I always thought Sam was just looking out for me. Sure, he would always comfort and protect me but I thought he was just a friend.

"Of course I care about you, I've always cared about you." More people from the group were watching and listening. "I was so upset when they told me you died. But knowing that they hurt you just kills me. You didn't deserve that."

"It's okay Sam, they're all dead anyway."

"I know, I just wish I could have done something to stop it."

"There's nothing you could have done." I felt myself tear up, so I turned around and started to walk away. Sam grabbed my hand and whipped me around. He pulled me close to him, and pressed his lips against mine. I was shocked, but I relaxed and kissed back. His lips were warm and soft, yet firm. He wrapped his arm around my waist and I rested my hands on his chest. His other hand rested on the back of my head. Everything felt like it was in slow motion. We finally broke away, and we just stood there staring into each other's eyes. I bit my bottom lip, and he stroked my hair.

The moment was interrupted by Daryl who was walking by. "Well it's about damn time."


	8. The First Kiss

I looked around and saw a lot of others from the group staring at Sam and I. I immediately blushed, and I looked up at Sam to see that he was blushing too. "Um, I guess I'll see you later then?" I asked.

"Uh, yeah, see you later." He replied. He walked towards the house and I walked into my tent. I laid on my sleeping bag wondering what the hell just happened. At my other camp, I kind of had a crush on Sam, but I never imagined it actually happening. Our kiss was so passionate though, and I'm not going to lie it felt really amazing. Maybe it will be good for me to have someone to love and care for. Maybe it will be nice having someone that will love me back. My head was spinning and I couldn't even think straight. It was amazing how crazy I became from just one kiss. I needed to go for a walk to clear my head.

When I exited my tent, I looked around to see if anyone was there. I couldn't see anyone except for Dale who was on the RV keeping watch. I walked along the fence, but I was careful not to travel too far. I stopped and sat on one of the fence posts. Not long after, I saw Sam come out of the house and start walking towards me. I jumped off of the post when he was near. "Hey." He said.

"Hey." I replied.

"So um… That was, uh…" Sam said. I could tell he couldn't find the right words, but I couldn't either.

Before he could say anything more I grabbed his shirt and pulled him towards me. I planted my lips on his and kissed him softly. He was a bit surprised at first, but after a moment he kissed back. He ran his fingers through my hair, and I rested my hands on the back of his head. When we broke away, he stared at me with lust. "Wow." He said.

"Yeah, wow." I replied.

"I guess you liked the kiss then."

I smiled, "Yeah, I really did."

He smiled back at me. "Do you realize how long I've been waiting to kiss you?"

"No, how long?" I teased him.

"Since the first day I met you. When you and your dad joined our camp, I knew immediately that I liked you. I was trying to work up the courage to tell you, but I never got the chance until now."

I looked at him, shocked. Instead of giving him a response, I kissed him again. This kiss was short but sweet, and it was just as good as the other two. "We should head back to the house; they're probably making dinner." I said. He nodded, and we walked back together. When we entered the house we received curious looks from everyone, but I ignored them. I walked into the kitchen where Lori, Carol and Maggie were starting to cook dinner. I picked up a knife and started chopping carrots, but I could feel everyone's eyes on me. I looked up at them, smiled, and shrugged my shoulders. "What?" I asked with a smirk.

The women smiled at me, "I remember my first kiss." Lori said. I blushed and continued chopping. "You never forget your first."

"How do you know he's my first?" I asked. All of the women giggled, including me.

"I can tell." She replied.

"Ugh, alright, he's my first kiss." The women smiled at me.

"So, how was it?" Maggie asked.

"Freaking amazing." I replied. This made all the women laugh. Andrea and Patricia walked in with curious looks on their faces.

"What did we miss?" Andrea asked.

"We were just talking about a certain something that happened today." Carol said.

They still looked confused, but the realization soon set in. "Oh, you're talking about you and Sam?" Patricia asked. I nodded, and she smiled. "I knew it would happen eventually. He talked about you, you know."

"He talked about me? When?"

"When we took him in, he kept talking about you. He said there was a girl at his camp that he needed to find. He wanted to look for you, but we wouldn't let him. Once he told us you were left behind we knew there was no chance that you were alive, but here you are." Patricia said.

My head was spinning. "He wanted to look for me? Even after he knew there was practically no chance of me being alive?"

"Yeah, he was still determined to look. He would pray every night that he would find you, and God answered his prayers." Maggie said. I was really surprised finding out that he wanted to look for me, and that he liked me ever since he first saw me. We finished dinner and sat down at the table to eat. There wasn't enough room at the table, so Sam, Carl, Beth, Maggie, Glenn and I sat at a different one. I was sitting across from Sam, and throughout dinner we kept looking at each other. Everyone was laughing and having a good time, but I couldn't take my eyes off Sam. After we finished and cleaned up, I sat on the porch. Sam came out and sat down in a chair next to me, and we just sat in silence for a little while.

"I heard that you wanted to look for me." I said.

"Huh?"

"When you got here, Maggie and Patricia said you wanted to look for me. Why?"

"Because I needed to find you. I knew it was a long shot, but I had a feeling that you were out there somewhere. And here you are. It looks like I was right."

"Yeah you were." There was a long pause before I spoke again. "Are you sure that no one else made it out alive? Are you sure they're dead?"

"Well, I saw Tom, Ian, Jeff, Michael and Steve go down, but after that I got my shit and left. I saw Liam go down just before I left. I don't think anyone else made it though, because it was pretty bad. I'm not positive, but they're most likely all dead."

"It seems like they got what they deserved." I said. He didn't say anything, and when I looked up he had a sad look on his face. "What's wrong?"

"I still can't believe they did that to you."

"Sam, it's okay. It happened a long time ago, and I'm still alive."

"Does anyone in your group know?"

"Glenn does, since he overheard us talking, but other than that, nobody knows."

"Are you ever going to tell them?"

"I don't know, maybe. I'm not ready to right now, but I'll probably tell them eventually." We sat there enjoying the peace and quiet, but I quickly grew tired. I kept yawning, and I was about to fall asleep on the porch.

"Come on, you looked tired, let's get you to bed." He said. He took my hands and pulled me up out of the chair. I was practically falling asleep in his arms. "You can sleep in my bed if you want. You look like you need a good sleep." I nodded and we walked into the house. Everyone was doing their own thing, but most of the people were sleeping. I saw Lori in the kitchen and she smiled at me when she saw me go upstairs with Sam. He pulled me into his bedroom and shut the door. His room was big, with yellow walls. There was a dresser and mirror on one side of the room, two chairs in the corner on the far side, and night tables on both sides of the bed. I collapsed on the bed and almost immediately fell asleep. Sam looked conflicted, and walked to one of the chairs and sat down.

"No." I mumbled. "Sleep here." I patted the bed, and he walked over and slipped under the covers with me. He turned off the lamp on the night table, and I snuggled into his chest. He wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Goodnight Jenny." He said and kissed my forehead.

"Goodnight." I said, and I fell asleep in his arms.


	9. Walker Bait

_**Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've just been really busy. I promise I'll update more often! Enjoy chapter 9!**_

The next morning I woke up cozy and comfortable. Sam's arms were wrapped around me, and my head rested against his chest. "Good morning, beautiful." He said. I looked up at him and saw that he was staring at me.

I smiled, "Good morning."

"You sure are a heavy sleeper. I've been awake for about an hour."

"You should have woken me up!" I said and hit his shoulder lightly.

He laughed, "No, I like watching you sleep." We smiled at each other, and I moved in and kissed him. We kissed slowly, passionately. His lips were soft and warm, and I never wanted to stop. Things were getting more intense and he was running his hand through my hair. His other hand was on my hip, and I rested my hands on his bare chest. I finally broke away, but he looked at me with hunger in his eyes.

"Come on, let's go eat. I'm sure they're probably waiting for us." I hopped off the bed and walked over to the mirror. I smoothed down my hair and straightened out my clothes.

"Damn Jenny, please just stay and finish what we started!" He said with a smile.

I laughed before walking out the door. "You wish!" I called. I walked down the stairs as quietly as possible, being careful not to make too much of an entrance. When I walked into the dining room, everyone stopped eating and looked at me. Pretty much everyone was there, except for Daryl and Shane. I got my plate and sat down at my usual spot in between Carl and Beth. People continued eating, but Maggie just stared at me. "What?" I asked and shrugged.

She couldn't help but smile, "Nothing."

I sighed, "You can say it."

"It's just- you and Sam. You guys are so cute together!" She said.

I giggled, "Uh, thanks I guess." I kept eating, and after a while Sam walked downstairs. He got a plate and sat across from me. Nobody said a word, and we finished breakfast quietly. When we were finished, everyone started their usual morning routine. I walked over to Lori and Carol to help fold the laundry. Carol was taking the clothes off of the clothes line while Lori and I folded. It was awkwardly silent again, but we just continued folding.

Finally, she said, "Jenny, what happened last night? You know, between you and Sam?"

"I was tired and he offered me to sleep in his bed. We just slept." I said, embarrassed at what she was hinting at.

"So, you didn't…?" She asked. She was asking if Sam and I had fooled around.

"Oh God, no! I'm only 15, and I'm not looking to do anything like that for a long time."

She sighed with relief. "Thank God. I was worried that you guys were going to do something stupid."

I laughed, "I wouldn't do anything like that. At least not for a while. You have nothing to worry about." She nodded and smiled at me. When we were finished with the laundry, T-dog walked up to me.

"Hey Jenny." He said. "I was gonna go get some water for the group and everyone else is busy. Would you mind coming with me?"

"Sure." I replied. We walked over to one of the wells, and T-dog started pumping the water into the containers.

"You think there's a snowball's chance in hell that we'll find that little girl?" He asked.

"I'm betting on the snowball." I replied. I noticed that the water was a bit more brown than usual. I heard a faint sound of growling so a walked over to the well to take a look inside.

"Yeah, me too." He said. "We'll do whatever we have to; I don't care if I have to comb the woods like Rambo. Fetch a pail of water, everyone pitches in and does their part." I peeked in the well, shocked at what I saw. "Am I right? Do your part, don't complain." I saw him take a spoonful of water and he was about to drink it. "That's what I always say." Just as he was about to drink the water, I knocked the spoon out of his hands. He looked at me like I was crazy.

"I wouldn't drink that if I were you." I said. His expression quickly changed when he understood what I meant. He looked inside the well to see a bloated walker at the bottom. "I think we should have somebody take a look at this."

We ran back to camp and gathered everyone we could. We got Dale, Maggie, Shane, Andrea, Glenn and Lori to help. When we got back to the well, everyone looked disgusted at the sight of the walker.

"It looks like we got us a swimmer." Dale said.

"How long do you think it's been down there?" Glenn asked.

"Long enough to grow gills." Andrea replied.

"We have to get it out of there. God knows what it's doing to the water." Lori said, concerned.

"We got to get it out." Shane agreed.

"Easy, we put a bullet in its head." T-dog replied. "I'll get a rope."

"Woah, woah guys, no." Maggie said.

"Why not? It's a good plan." Glenn replied.

"It's a stupid plan." I said. "If that thing hasn't contaminated the water yet, blowing its brains out would finish the job."

"Yeah, she's right." Shane replied. "We can't risk it."

"So it has to come out alive." T-dog stated.

"So to speak." Shane replied.

"How do we do that?" Glenn asked.

"I have an idea." I said. "Why don't we take a piece of meat, tie it to a rope and send it down there? Maybe it will be attracted to it and we could pull it up."

"It's worth a shot." Maggie said. Lori and Maggie walked back to the house to get the meat and returned a few minutes later. We tied the meat to a rope and sent it down the well. We all watched anxiously, but the walker didn't even acknowledge it. We all sighed in frustration and tried to figure out another plan.

"He's not going for it." Dale said.

"Maybe because it doesn't kick and scream when you try to eat it." T-dog replied.

"He's right. There's a reason the dead didn't come back to life to start raiding our cupboards." Lori said.

"We need live bait." Andrea said as she looked at Glenn. Everyone else looked at him too, and he rolled his eyes.

"Do I have to do everything that's dangerous around here?" He said, annoyed.

We got him tied up to a rope that was hooked around the pump. Shane was securing the knots when Glenn looked up at him and said, "Have I mentioned I really like your new haircut?"

Shane laughed and replied, "Hey, don't worry about it bud. We're gonna get you out of here in one piece."

"Living piece." Glenn stated. "The living part is important." We all got ready and held on to the rope tightly. Shane was in front of me, and I was second in line. T-dog was right behind me. "Nice and slow, please."

"We got you." andrea said.

"You people are crazy!" Maggie yelled, concerned.

"Do you want us to get it out of your well or not?" Shane asked.

"Give us an eye there Maggie." Dale said.

Maggie walked closer to the well. Glenn looked at her, and she just shook her head. He took a few deep breaths before letting go of the pipe. We lowered him down as slowly as possible, all of us keeping a good grip on the rope. Maggie leaned over the side of the well and called down to Glenn. "Are you doing okay?" She asked.

"Yep, doing great! Living the dream." Glenn replied sarcastically. I let out a little giggle, but thank goodness no one heard me. We continued to lower him down, little by little.

"A little lower, a little more!" Maggie said.

Everything was going smoothly until the pump that was holding the rope broke out of the ground. The rope practically flew down the well. I heard Glenn's screaming, and everyone panicked. We held on the rope as tightly as we could, all of us trying desperately to pull him back up. "Get me out of here!" Glenn screamed. "Oh God, get me out!" Shane tried to jump and catch the pump, but he didn't quite make it. We all slid toward the well until my feet were on the edge of it. I was able to grab on to the pump, and I gripped it as tight as I could, but it felt like I was the only one pulling. "Come on! GET ME OUT!" He yelled again. The others were behind me, trying to grab onto whatever they could. I kept pulling until Shane was able to grab the rope in front of me. He pulled, and I kept crawling backwards. Andrea was trying to help me while the others pulled the rope. We pulled and pulled until I saw Glenn's hand reach on top of the pipe. Maggie and T-dog pulled him out, and I let go of the pump. We all sighed with relief and I tried to catch my breath. The others ran towards Glenn. I was still lying on the ground trying to get my breath back.

"Are you okay?!" Maggie asked. Glenn nodded, and everyone looked even more relieved.

"So it's back to the drawing board." Dale said.

Glenn just looked up, smiled, and shoved the rope into Dale's hands. "Says you." Glenn replied. Dale pulled the rope, and we all looked down into the well and saw that Glenn had hooked it around the walker's neck.

I was glad that Glenn was able to get the walker attached to the rope, but I don't think I would have the strength to pull something else up the well. I sighed and looked at the others. "Oh, perfect. Now we have to get that thing out."


	10. The Picnic

_**Hey everyone, I'm sorry for the long delay. I've just had a crazy busy week! Please review! Thanks for reading!**_

All of us were panting from the heat. "Pull!" T-dog said. "Come on guys, just a little bit more!" We kept pulling and pulling but it felt like the damn thing weighed 1000 pounds. "Almost there!" We pulled even more until we saw the walker's head poke out of the well. We kept yanking on the rope but it wouldn't move anymore. "It's caught on the side!" T-dog said. We all pulled harder, hoping to get the thing out. Suddenly, the walker's torso split in half, and its legs and guts fell down the well into the water.

"That's disgusting!" Andrea said.

"I think I might puke." Lori added.

We all had disgusted looks on our faces. The walker's arms started moving again, and T-dog finally smashed its skull in. "Oh God." Maggie said as she walked off with Glenn following close behind.

"I think we'll seal this well off." Dale said. We all nodded in agreement and went our separate ways. When I got back to camp I noticed that everyone else was gone.

"Hey, Lori?" I asked.

"Yes Jenny?" She replied.

"Where is everyone?"

"They went out to look for Sophia."

I got really angry. I was the one who found her footprints, why would they leave without me? They wouldn't have a clue where to look. "They don't even know where to go."

"I think they're coming back soon. Rick said they were just going to have a quick look." I nodded and went off to find Sam. I finally found him in the stables, and I snuck up behind him.

"Boo!" I yelled.

He spun around quickly, grabbed my shoulders and shoved me into the wall. I froze with fear and stared at him with wide eyes.

"Jesus Jenny!" He said as he let go of me. "Why would you scare me like that?"

"Sorry, I just wanted to surprise you." I replied.

"Well, please don't do that. Not in this world."

I nodded. "So, what are you doing?"

"I can't find one of the horses. Her name is Nelly. One of the people from your group must have taken her."

"Oh, well I'm sure they'll be back soon." I said and he shook his head.

"They still should have asked first."

"I know. Listen, I was thinking we could have a little picnic today. I know we won't have a lot to eat but it would still be nice. Maybe it will remind us of the old days."

He smiled. "That sounds like a great idea. Let's go pack the stuff." We walked back to the house and packed a bag that held a blanket, some peaches, and some water. We found a nice spot at the back of the farm, not too far from the camp. It was underneath some beautiful willow trees, and it was a perfect day. We sat down and started eating the peaches. I looked up and caught him staring at me.

"What?" I asked as I blushed.

He paused for a moment, "You're just so beautiful. I can't help but stare at you."

I smiled and blushed even more. "You think I'm beautiful?"

"Of course I do. You're one of the most beautiful girls I've ever known."

My head was spinning and my stomach was filled with butterflies. No guy has ever called me beautiful before. "Nobody has ever called me beautiful before." I admitted. He crawled over to me and pulled me in his lap.

"Well you deserve to know that. You should be told that you're beautiful every day, every hour, every minute." He leaned in and kissed me softly. I ran my hands through his hair and his arms were wrapped around my waist. We kept kissing each other, appreciating every moment.

"Walker! WALKER!" I heard Andrea yell. We quickly broke away and looked to see what she was talking about. She was pointing towards the woods, and I looked to see a walker coming towards the farm. Sam and I jumped up and sprinted towards camp. Rick, T-dog, Shane and Glenn were rushing out to kill the walker. Just as we reached the RV, we saw Andrea crouching down getting ready to shoot.

"Andrea, don't!" I yelled.

"Andrea, don't shoot. Let Rick handle this!" Dale pleaded.

"Relax, I've got this." She said. She adjusted her scope and rested her finger on the trigger.

I saw Rick and the others just standing there. I was wondering why they weren't killing it, but then I recognized him. His shirt, his crossbow… it was Daryl. "Don't shoot!" I said. "I think that's-"

She pulled the trigger, and we all looked over and saw the walker fall to the ground. Andrea had a proud look on her face. "NO!" Rick yelled. "NO!"

"I THINK THAT WAS DARYL!" I screamed at her.

"Oh God." She ran down the RV ladder.

"I tried to tell you but you were too busy trying to be a badass!" I yelled. Andrea, Dale, Sam and I all sprinted to the others. Daryl was all bloody and beaten. He had blood on his mouth, his side and his head, and he was wearing 4 ears around his neck.

"Oh my God! Is he dead?" Andrea asked who had started crying.

"You just grazed him." Rick said, obviously pissed off. Rick and Shane picked Daryl up and carried him back to the house.

"Hey guys!" T-dog said. We all looked over at him to see that he was holding up a doll. "Wasn't this Sophia's?" We all stared at each other, shocked. We found footprints and a doll, but no Sophia. We were silent as we rushed back to the house. Hershel ran down the front steps.

"What happened?" He asked.

"He came out of the forest like this and Andrea shot him." Shane said. "Stupid bitch." He mumbled under his breath. I heard it, but thankfully no one else did. I could tell we were all thinking it though.

"Patricia, go set up an IV." Hershel instructed. "Take him into the bedroom that Carl was in." Rick and Shane dragged him in the house and set him on the bed. "Give me some room, please."

We all left the room, waiting anxiously to find out if he was okay. Hershel finally came out of the room. Everyone stood up. "Is he okay?" Andrea asked nervously.

"Luckily, he's going to be fine. It looks like he took an arrow in the side. The bullet thankfully didn't do any serious damage. He'll be sore for a while, but he'll make a full recovery." Hershel replied. We all sighed with relief. After that, everyone left to do their own thing. I left to go clean up the supplies from me and Sam's picnic. As I was folding the blanket, Glenn walked up to me.

"Hi Glenn." I said.

"Hey." He replied. I kept folding, but neither of us said anything.

"Did you need something?" I asked.

"No, I was just thinking…" He trailed off.

"You were thinking what?"

"I was thinking that you should tell the group what happened to you. I know it's a lot asking this, but everyone's still suspicious about you. They're not sure they can trust you, they think you're keeping some big secret from them."

I was taking by surprise by his request. "You want me to tell them that I was raped? Are you crazy?!" I said. He looked uncomfortable when I said 'rape'. "I didn't even want you to know! I can't tell them what happened! It was too painful! I can't relive it!" I started panicking and I felt like I couldn't breathe. Flashbacks of that day flashed through my mind. I got dizzy, and I felt myself start to sway. I didn't really understand what was happening to me. I told Sam what happened and I didn't get this way. Maybe I was just afraid of what they might think of me, or maybe I was afraid of telling so many people.

"Hey, it was just a suggestion. You don't have to say anything if you're not comfortable with it." He replied. I still felt dizzy so I leaned against the tree. "Are you okay?"

I took a few deep breaths. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay. I just need a second." I could tell Glenn was uncomfortable. I stood back up and finished packing the stuff.

"Listen, just forget I said anything." He said.

"No, I'm glad you did. I just don't know if I'm ready to tell them yet. I'll definitely consider it though." He nodded and we walked back to the others. By the time we got back, dinner was ready. I sat down at my usual spot, and we ate like we normally did. Just as we were about to start cleaning up, I stood up. "Um, guys?" I couldn't believe I was about to tell them about what happened. Well, it was now or never. "I have to tell you something."


	11. Secrets

Everyone stopped eating and looked at me. "Um… you know that uh…" I couldn't find the right words. The group just kept staring at me waiting for an answer. "Before I was with you guys, I was with another group. They… um…"

Sam looked at me with wide eyes. "Jenny! What are you doing?!" He asked nervously.

"I have to tell them." I whispered quietly.

"I don't think this is a good idea." He said.

I looked over at everyone. They were staring at me with curious, questioning looks. "Uh…" I still couldn't get the words out. What was I supposed to say? 'Um, hey just to let you guys know I was gang raped by 7 guys. Just an FYI.' They would think I was crazy! "Ugh, just forget I said anything." I sat back down and looked down at my plate awkwardly. The others glanced at each other and got back to eating. I looked up and saw Sam staring at me like I'd gone insane. I glanced over at Glenn who was giving me a somewhat disappointed look. I finished my dinner first, so I cleaned up my plate and walked back to my tent. As I was leaving everyone gave me weird looks. When I got back to my tent I lay on my cot and closed my eyes. I heard everyone start getting into their tents, and suddenly someone unzipped my tent and walked inside.

Sam stared at me for a few moments. "Why the hell were you going to tell them?" He asked.

I sighed and sat up. "Glenn said that everyone was curious about what happened to me before they found me. They thought I was hiding something from them. I figured they'd find out eventually so I thought it'd be better if they heard it from me."

"So, are you going to tell them?"

"Well, I was going to but I got too nervous. I don't know what they'd think of me if they knew."

Sam walked over and sat down next to me. He pulled me into his lap and I rested my head on his shoulder. "Nobody's going to judge you. It wasn't your fault; you didn't want it to happen. They would understand." I nodded as he kissed the top of my head. I looked up at him and he saw that I was tearing up. "Hey, it's okay." He pulled me close to him and stroked my hair.

"You're too perfect for me." I said.

"No, you're too perfect for me, beautiful." I looked at him and smiled. "There's the smile I love." I leaned in and kissed him softly. We broke away for a moment before diving back in with a more passionate kiss.

I broke away and looked into his eyes. "One second." I got up and zipped the tent closed. He smirked at me as I sat on top of him, straddling over his legs. He made a trail of kisses from my lips to my neck, slowly moving down. He sent shivers down my spine as his hands moved all over my body. I reached down and pulled off his shirt, revealing his hot body. He took my shirt of and stared at me for a moment. He smiled, threw me down on the cot and got on top of me. He kissed me hungrily, obviously wanting more. He covered every inch of my body with kisses. He grabbed my breast with one hand, and stroked my hair with the other. His legs were in-between mine and I felt his arousal. I paused for a moment, bit my lip and looked down. I looked back up at him to see that he was blushing a little.

"Sorry." He said, embarrassed.

"Don't be." I said. I slid under him, making a trail of kisses down his stomach. I could tell he was getting more and more excited, and frankly I was too. I felt safe and comforted with him on top of me. He made me feel protected in a way no one ever has before. I never thought I'd be doing anything like this when I was only 15, but with Sam it felt right. It was the end of the world anyway, so who gives a shit. He sat up, and I unbuckled his pants. I kissed him right above his crotch, slowly sliding his pants off of him.

"Jenny?" I heard someone whisper from outside.

"Shit!" I said. Sam quickly got off of me, buckled his pants and threw on his shirt. I quickly put mine on and smoothed down my hair. I cleared my throat, "Yeah?"

"It's Glenn."

I got up and left the tent. I quickly shut it behind me. I didn't want him to know that Sam was in there. "What's up?"

He looked suspicious, but he shrugged it off. "I just wanted to see if you were okay. It must have been hard trying to tell them. I never should have suggested it."

"No, Glenn, it's okay. It would be good for them to know, I think it will just take a bit more time."

He nodded, "Well, I'll let you get some sleep."

"Okay, goodnight."

"Goodnight." He said. He walked off, and he snuck a curious glance at me before entering his tent. I let out a huge sigh of relief.

I got back in the tent to see that Sam was lying on the cot. "Okay that was too close." I said, lying down next to him.

"I'll say." He kissed me again.

"Nice try, Sam." I smirked.

"Oh come on! You had no problem with it before!"

"That was before we almost got caught. You can thank Glenn for that." I smiled at him.

"Damn it Glenn."

I laughed at him. "Hey, you still got to second base."

He smiled. "At least I had a little fun…"

"That's the spirit!" I kissed him lightly and snuggled into his chest. "Sleep here tonight."

"I was planning on it."

"Good." He wrapped his arms around my waist and I kissed him one last time before falling into a deep sleep.

.

When I woke, Sam's arms were still wrapped around me. I looked up, and he was still sleeping. "You're so attractive." I said.

"Why thank you." He said, opening his eyes.

I felt myself blush. "You're awake!" I said as I punched his shoulder.

He laughed at me. "Hey, consider this as payback for not finishing what we started last night."

I rolled my eyes. "Why are you so horny all the time? Geez."

"I'm not _that _bad." He said, kissing my cheek.

"Yeah, whatever." I stood up and changed into a clean shirt. I turned around and caught him staring at me. "Just remember, you can look, not touch." I winked at him.

"You're such a tease." He got up too and pulled me into a hug.

"I know." I gave him a peck on the lips.

I unzipped the tent and stepped out, looking around. "Coast is clear." I said. Sam quickly got out and went into the house to change. I walked over to Carol and T-dog who were sitting around the fire. "Good morning." I said.

"Morning." Carol replied. T-dog just gave me a slight nod.

I sat down in one of the chairs. "How's Daryl doing?"

"Last time I checked on him he seemed to be doing much better." Carol said.

"Good." We all sat in awkward silence for a while.

"So, how are things with you and Sam?" T-dog asked.

I blushed a little. "Good."

"I saw him, uh, leave your tent this morning." Carol said. They both looked intrigued and I just stared at them.

I blushed even more. "Well for your information we didn't do anything." We were close though, really close. I didn't want to tell them that last part.

T-dog laughed a little. "I remember that age. Hormones are raging, all you wanna do is, well, that."

"Okay well that's enough awkwardness for me. Let's not talk about… this." T-dog and Carol just laughed. Just then I saw Lori, Rick and Carl emerge from their tent. They came and joined us by the fire. "Perfect timing." I muttered.

"What?" Lori asked.

"Oh, nothing." I replied. Carol and I finished making breakfast as more people joined us. Sam came and sat next to me. T-dog and Carol gave smirked at us. I rolled my eyes at them and they laughed a little. By that time everyone except for Dale and Glenn were there. We all sat, eating eggs not really saying much; just casual small talk. Finally Glenn and Dale showed up.

Glenn stood up and looked at all of us. He looked nervous. "So, guys? There's walkers in the barn."

_**Hey guys. Sorry for another long wait. I'm not too confident with this story. If you want me to continue with it, please let me know! Just send me a quick review; it would really make me happy. Thanks for reading!**_


	12. Walkers In The Barn

Everyone stopped eating and stared at Glenn in shock. "There's what in the where?!" I said.

"There's walkers in the barn." Glenn repeated.

Rick stood up and stormed off to the barn. The whole camp followed, all of us rushing towards it. When we got there Shane walked up to the barn and peeked inside. He walked back to Rick, obviously angry. "Man you can't tell me you're alright with this!" He yelled.

"No I'm not, but we're guests here. This isn't our land." Rick replied.

"God man, this is our lives!" Shane yelled.

"Lower your voice!" Glenn hissed.

"We can't just sweep this under the rug." Andrea said.

"It ain't right, not remotely." T-dog agreed.

"We either gotta go in there, make things right or we just gotta go. Man, we have been talking about Fort Benning for a long time." Shane said.

"We can't go!" Rick hissed.

"Why Rick, why?" Shane asked.

"Because my daughter's still out there." Carol said, worried.

Shane rubbed his face with his hands. "Now I think it's time we consider the other possibilities."

"Shane we're not leaving Sophia behind!" Rick yelled.

"We're close to finding this girl I just found her damn doll 2 days ago!" Daryl said.

"You found her doll Daryl! That's what you did you found a doll." Shane replied.

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about!" Daryl hissed as he stepped up to Shane.

"Now I'm just saying what needs to be said here!" Shane yelled. Rick stepped in-between Shane and Daryl, preventing a fight. "Now let me tell you something. If she was out there in the woods and saw you coming all methed out with your buck knife and geek ears around your neck she would run in the other direction!"

"Shut up! Just shut up!" Daryl yelled. Daryl tried to punch Shane but Rick kept them apart. Glenn and Lori took Shane aside while Andrea and I took Daryl.

"Just back off!" Rick yelled.

When the situation was under control Shane pointed his finger at Lori. "Keep your hands off me!"

Shane started walking away, but Rick said, "Just let me talk to Hershel and try to figure things out."

"What are you gonna figure out?!" Shane yelled, charging at Rick.

Lori stopped him. "Enough!" She hissed.

"If we're gonna stay here, if we're gonna clear this barn I have to talk him into it. This is his land!" Rick said.

"Hershel sees those things in there as people; sick people. His wife, his stepson." Dale interrupted.

"You knew?" I asked.

"Yesterday I talked to Hershel." He replied.

"You waited the night?" Shane yelled.

"I figured we could survive one more night. We did. I waited until this morning to tell you but Glenn wanted to be the one." Dale stated.

"The man's crazy if he thinks those things are alive!" Shane yelled. Just then, the walkers got even more riled up and started banging on the barn. Sam grabbed me and hurried me away from the barn. When we got back to camp I stopped and looked at Sam.

"Did you know about this?" I asked. He looked down and nodded. "Why wouldn't you tell me?!"

"Hershel didn't want you guys to know. I figured he would kick me out if I told you; I was looking out for myself." He replied.

"But you know what those things are capable of! You saw our whole group go down. They may not have been the nicest people but they were still eaten alive. Those things are dangerous and they could have escaped! Could you imagine if they had somehow gotten out? Our whole camp could have been gone!"

"I know Jenny! Trust me, I've seen what those things have done, but the barn is secure. They've never gotten out before and I don't think they'll ever be able to escape."

"You still should have told us." I spat. "I'm going out to look for Sophia. Don't bother trying to stop me." I quickly walked away and finally found T-dog. "Hey. Do you want to come with me to look for Sophia? I was thinking we could start off in the cornfield where we found her tracks."

"Yeah sure, I'll go grab our guns." He said. He walked into the RV and got the guns. We were getting ready to go when he said, "I'll go tell Rick. He's already pissed off; I don't want him worried about us." I nodded as he ran off to report to Rick. To be honest, I was sick and tired of having to report to someone before we do anything. Why can't we just do what we want? He finally returned and we took off. We were about a mile in when he started asking questions. "So you and Sam are having trouble, huh?"

"I guess. I'm just pissed that he didn't tell me about the barn."

"I'm not trying to get involved, but I think you guys shouldn't fight so much. I mean, I know you guys are young and you haven't really experienced love or anything. I just think you should appreciate what you have before it's gone."

"I know. It just seems like every little thing that happens results in a fight."

"What do you guys fight about anyway?"

"Oh… just something that happened with our other group."

"Is it because they left you behind or something?"

"Kind of." I shrugged.

"What do you mean kind of?" He asked, confused.

I can't take this anymore, all these constant questions. I need to tell someone, and T-dog seems like the type of guy who can keep a secret. "Listen, if I tell you something, do you promise not to tell anyone?"

"Um, sure."

"You can't tell anyone. Not a single soul."

"Okay, I promise."

"Well, one day my dad and I were going for a walk. We were in a forest when all of a sudden a walker came up from behind him. I couldn't save him. A member of my old group put him down. After that, I kind of fell into a depressed state. Sam was the only one who comforted me. One day, a bunch of guys from the group asked if I wanted to go scavenging with them. I thought they were going to kill me because I heard them talking about it before. I wanted to die so I went along. We were driving, but they stopped the car and pulled me out. I figured they were gonna kill me, but they did something much, much worse." I felt myself start to tear up. "They um… they raped me. All 7 of them. Then they drove off and left me by the side of the road." I felt a tear roll down my cheek and I looked up to see T-dog staring at me with a blank expression.

"They dead?" He asked.

"According to Sam, yes." I replied as I wiped the tears from my face.

He let out a small snort. "How could someone do something like that? Rape a 15 year old and leave her by the side of the road. That's just sick. I hope those bastards are rotting in hell."

"I hope so too."

We continued walking and I saw pieces of orange fabric stapled on two trees. "The tracks are between these trees." I said. I finally spotted them and T-dog and I followed them.

When he saw the walker tracks he tensed up. "Are those what I think they are?" He asked, concerned.

I nodded and gulped. I just wanted to find this girl safe and sound. We finally reached the cornfield, and I paid close attention to the tracks, being careful not to lose the trail. I followed them closely, and it was like she was running in zig-zags avoiding a walker. I stopped when I saw the tracks split, almost like she ran in two different directions. "You go right, I'll go left. If the trail continues after 30 feet, turn around and we'll meet back here." I said.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" He asked.

"Yeah, we'll be fine. If you see anything, just holler." I replied and he nodded. I carefully followed the footprints through the field. Just as I was about to turn back, something grabbed me from behind.

_**Hey guys! I thought I would leave everyone with a cliffhanger. Please review! The more reviews I get, the faster I write, and they really make me smile! I also wanted to thank everyone that has reviewed, followed or favourited my story! It really means a lot to me. Thank you for reading!**_


	13. Breaking Point

I felt a pair of hands grab my shoulders and I let out a shriek. I swung my elbow up and made contact with whatever was behind me. I spun around and saw a walker attempting to grab me. I stumbled back, and tripped over a log. I fell back and landed on the ground with a loud thump. A stab of pain shot through my lower back, but with the adrenaline I hardly noticed it. I looked up to see not one, not two, but three walkers headed for me. I grabbed my knife and killed the first walker easily. I killed the second walker, but as I was pulling my knife out of its head, the third walker knocked me over. As I was falling, my knife flew out of my hands. "Shit shit shit shit shit!" I said. The walker stumbled and grabbed my ankle. I started kicking wildly, repeatedly hitting it with my feet. It didn't slow down at all, and it grabbed my arm as I was attempting to hit it. I screamed and tried reaching for my knife, but it was too far away. The walker growled louder, and opened its mouth. Just as it was about to make contact with my bare skin, I suddenly felt its body go limp. It fell on top of me and I quickly shoved it off. I looked up to see T-dog, knife in hand.

"Stupid bastards." He muttered. He held up his hand for me to take. He helped me up, and I grabbed my knife. "You okay?"

"Yeah." I sighed. When I tried walking I got a searing pain shooting up my back. I hissed in pain, and T-dog looked at me with concern.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"I fell and hit my back on something."

"Let me see." I turned around and lifted up my shirt a little.

"Damn, you need to get that looked at. It's bruising already."

"Great. Another damn injury. I swear our group's a danger magnet."

He let out a laugh and we started our trek back to the farm. Each step I took was painful, but I kept pushing. T-dog tried many times to help me, but I shrugged him off, telling him I didn't need any help. "You sure are stubborn, aren't you?" He asked.

I laughed a little. "Yeah, my family always used to tell me that."

"You've never told us about your family." He said.

"Well, there's not much to tell. I was really close with my mom, but I spent most of my time with my dad and 3 brothers. They were always really athletic, so they would make me go out and play sports and stuff with them. My dad used to take us all hunting; he was kind of obsessed with guns. I guess it came in handy. When the outbreak happened, my mom and brother Tyler died pretty early. We lived on the edge of Atlanta, but my dad didn't trust the safe zones. When shit got really bad, we fled, but my brother Justin died on the way. My oldest brother Max was in college so I don't know what happened to him. Me and my dad found a group but my dad died, and I got separated from the rest of the group. How about you?"

"I lived with my girlfriend Jackie before the outbreak, and when it started we found Rick and the others. She died at the CDC. The doctor there gave us a choice. The building was gonna blow up and she chose to stay. She didn't want to face it anymore."

I put my hand on his shoulder. "I'm really sorry to hear that."

He nodded. "Looks like we're here." We started walking up to the farmhouse, and as we got closer I saw Shane handing out guns to everyone.

"What the hell is he doing?!" I asked, annoyed. Shane always seemed to be causing trouble. When we reached the group, Shane and Lori were arguing about something. I wasn't focused on what they were saying; I was paying attention to what I saw emerging from the forest. "Uh, guys?" I asked, my eyes still locked on the figures. "GUYS!" I shouted. They all stopped talking and stared at me. I silently pointed to what I was looking at. Rick, Hershel and Jimmy came out of the forest with two walkers on sticks.

"What is that?" Shane said as we all started running towards them. We finally reached them, and Shane looked like he was at his breaking point. "What the hell are you doing?!" He yelled.

"Why do your people have guns?" Hershel asked.

"Are you kidding me?! You see what they're holding on to?" Shane yelled.

"I see who I'm holding on to!" Hershel replied.

"No you don't!" Shane said.

"Shane, just let us do this, then we can talk!" Rick replied.

"What do you want to talk about Rick?! These things ain't sick! They're not people! They're dead! Ain't gotta feel nothing for them cause all they do, they kill! These things, right here! They're the things that killed Amy. They killed Otis! They're gonna kill all of us unless we do something!" Shane yelled.

"Shane stop!" Rick said.

"Hey, Hershel, let me ask you something. Could a living breathing person walk away from this?" Shane asked. He pulled out his gun and shot the walker three times through the chest. "That's three rounds in the chest! Could someone who's alive, could they take that? Why is it still coming?" He shot it two more times. "That's its heart, its lung. Why is it still coming?" He shot it twice more.

"Shane enough!" Rick yelled.

"Yeah, you're right man. That is enough." Shane said. He walked up to the walker and shot it through the head. It collapsed to the ground, and we all stood there, shocked. "Enough risking our lives for a little girl who's GONE! Enough living next to a barn full of things that are trying to kill us! ENOUGH! Rick it ain't like it was before. Now if y'all wanna live, if y'all wanna survive, then you gotta fight for it! And I'm talking about fight! Right here, right now!" Shane ran towards the barn, took a pick axe and started breaking down the door.

Rick started pleading with Hershel. "Hershel, take the snag pole. Hershel, take it! Man, I'm begging you please take it!" Hershel didn't move; he just sat on the ground with tears in his eyes. Shane finally broke the locks, and started banging on the doors. "Shane, don't do this brother!" Everyone was screaming and panicking. The walkers started pouring out of the barn. I immediately grabbed the gun that I always kept tucked in my boot and ran forward. Andrea, T-dog, Daryl, Sam, Glenn, Shane and I were shooting every walker we saw. They kept pouring out of the barn, it seemed like they were never-ending. I kept hearing Lori's desperate screams for Rick and everyone's panicked cries. I thought about what my dad told me when he was teaching me how to shoot. 'Don't overthink it. Focus, keep your eye on your target. Just point and shoot, point and shoot. Clear your head of all thoughts. Just make it as simple as breathing.' I kept shooting, hitting every walker I aimed at straight between the eyes. Finally, Daryl shot the last walker and we all sighed with relief. I took in the scene around me. Lori was hugging Carl. Hershel, Maggie, Patricia and Beth were crying. Jimmy was holding Beth. Sam and I stared at each other for a moment. I was about to go hug him when I heard a faint growl. Oh great, there's more. I raised my gun, ready to take down whatever walked out of that barn. Out stepped a little girl, I guessed no older than 13. I was about to pull the trigger when I heard Carol's cries.

"Sophia! Sophia!" She cried as she ran towards the walker. Daryl caught her and she fell to the ground. I finally realized that this was the missing girl. This is the girl that I have been looking for all this time. Sophia kept moving towards us, getting faster and faster. She was getting a little too close for comfort, so I held up my gun just in case. Rick walked past me so I lowered my gun. He raised his, pointing it directly between her eyes. He hesitated for a moment before pulling the trigger. The shot echoed through the air, and the little girl fell to the ground. Just like that, she was gone.

_**Hey guys! Happy holidays! Now that I have some time off, I'll update more often. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah or whatever you celebrate, I hope it's amazing! Unless you don't celebrate anything, in that case, have a great week! Anyways, reviews are always greatly appreciated! A big thanks to everyone who has followed, favourited and reviewed! Happy reading **____**.**_


	14. The Fight

_**Hey guys! Guess what? NORMAN REEDUS MESSAGED ME ON TUMBLR! Yeah, Norman Reedus! I freaked out! Anyway, just thought I'd share that with you. **_

_**I know I haven't updated in forever. I feel terrible, and I know a lot of you may be mad or frustrated with me. I didn't want to disappoint you, I just didn't know how to continue with it, but I got a bunch of new ideas so I'm going to be writing more! I'll try and write as much as I can, and I have already started chapter 15. Sorry for making you guys wait. But be prepared for some epicness coming up in the next couple of chapters! **_

_**Now on with the story! I hope you enjoy it, please review!**_

Nobody did anything for a while. I looked around at the faces of the group. Daryl was holding Carol on the ground. Lori was hugging Carl, and both of them were crying. Hershel was on the ground in shock. Jimmy was holding Beth, and Patricia and Maggie were crying. Everyone else seemed like they were in shock. Rick finally put his gun back in his holster. I looked at Sam and hugged him. In that moment, it felt like time had stopped. It was like everything was just some crazy twisted dream that I would wake up from. But it wasn't a dream. No matter how much I wish I would wake up in my bed back in Atlanta, I knew that was never going to happen.

I was brought back to reality as Beth tore away from Jimmy and started walking through the corpses. She stopped at her mom's body and flipped it over. She started shaking her body and quietly saying, "Mom?" It made everyone's heart break even more. Suddenly, the walker grabbed Beth's hair and tried to bite her. Beth's screams rang out through the quiet air. Everyone ran towards her, and Shane pulled her away from her mother. The guys were trying to wrestle the walker, and finally Andrea grabbed a scythe and stabbed her through the head.

I sighed as I went around kicking the other walkers to make sure they were all dead. When I got to Sophia, I didn't kick her. I knew she was dead, and I didn't have the heart to do it anyway. Hershel, Maggie, Beth, and Patricia were walking towards the house, arms around each other. Shane decided to be a dick like usual and started yelling at them. "We've been out, combing these woods for her and she was in there all along?!"

"Leave us alone!" Maggie shouted.

"Hey Shane, just stop man!" Glenn said.

Rick grabbed Shane's arm, but Shane ripped it from his grip. "Get your hands off me!" He yelled. "You knew, and you kept it from us."

"I didn't know." Hershel said, his voice breaking.

"That's bullshit! I think y'all knew." Shane replied.

"We did not!" Maggie shouted, frustrated.

"Why was she there?!" Shane asked.

"Otis was in charge of putting those people in the barn. Maybe he found her and put her in there before he was killed." Hershel said.

"You expect me to believe that? What do I look like, an idiot?" Shane asked.

"I don't care what you believe!" Hershel said. "Get him off my land!"

A fight erupted and Rick was trying to hold Shane back. Shane broke free and walked towards Hershel, getting up in his face. Maggie ran up to him and slapped him straight across the face. Finally someone will give him what he deserves. "Don't touch him!" She yelled. "Haven't you done enough?"

The Greene family walked up the stairs and went inside. Before Hershel left, he turned around, pointed at Shane and said, "I mean it. Off my land."

Glenn sighed and walked into the house to check on Maggie. Rick walked up to Shane. "What are you doing?" Rick asked. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"Daryl almost died looking for her, Rick. It could have been any one of us and I'm telling you right now, he knew." Shane said.

"He didn't know, he's not like that! He opened his home to us!" Rick yelled.

"He put us all in danger. Man he kept a barn full of walkers."

"So what? You start an insurrection, hand out guns and massacre his family?!"

"His family's dead, Rick."

"He doesn't believe that, he thinks you just murdered them in cold blood!"

"I don't care what he thinks!"

"I was handling it brother and you just went and-" Rick was cut off by Shane.

"You had us out in those woods, looking for a little girl that every single one of us knew was dead." Shane started walking away.

I had enough of this. "I didn't think she was dead Shane!" He stopped and turned to me. "I found her trail, Daryl found her doll. We had leads! She could have been alive! I didn't think she was dead, Daryl didn't think she was dead, Carol sure as hell didn't think she was dead and a lot of others probably thought the same thing!" I looked at Daryl and he gave me a nod.

His face got red with anger and he started charging towards me. "Shut the hell up you stupid bitch!" Shane was right in my face, spitting on me with every word. Rick was yelling at him to stop. "You just joined this group and you think you know everything. So why don't you just keep your filthy little mouth shut and don't you dare ever talk to me like that again!" Shane shoved me hard and I stumbled back a few steps. Sam pushed Shane back and stepped in front of me protectively. Rick and T-dog grabbed Shane and pulled him back.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Shane?! You're not the person I became friends with a long time ago. You can't just go around shoving teenage girls around!" Rick yelled.

"You really think I give a shit right now?!" Shane yelled back.

I stepped around Sam and took a few steps forward. "You're an asshole Shane!" Sam grabbed my arm gently attempting to hold me back. "LET ME GO SAM!" I screamed. He looked at me shocked. He had never seen me like this before. All of my anger that I was trying to keep bottled up just came exploding out of me. "You know what Shane? You think you can go around intimidating everyone. You think you're the top dog around here, when newsflash! Rick's in charge, not you!" He tried to come at me again but he couldn't get out of Rick and T-dog's grip. "Sooner or later, you're gonna get what's coming to you. Let's just get one thing straight." I gave him an evil glare and took another step forward. "I'm not afraid of you." With that I stormed off, leaving everyone else in the group shocked.

_**Well, you just met feisty Jenny! Don't mess with her or she'll rip your head off! I know this chapter is a little short, but don't worry, I'll be posting chapter 15 either tonight or tomorrow. So how did you like it? Review review review! **_


	15. Inner Demons

_**Hey guys! I know, I know, I'm a day late. Oh well. At least I posted it right? Well the reason I didn't update yesterday was because nobody reviewed. I can't write if you guys don't give me suggestions or tell me if you liked it or not! So, lesson of the day, please review! Here's chapter 15, if there aren't any reviews, don't expect chapter 16 for at least a week. I'm sorry to be this type of writer that keeps begging for reviews, but they really do help me write. Anyway, this chapter is about Jenny trying to get over her past and deal with her anger. So, without further ado, here's chapter 15!**_

I stormed back into my tent and lay down on my cot. After about 2 minutes I realized that I had too much anger to deal with and I couldn't sit still. I grabbed my knife and put on my boots. I walked out of my tent and saw that only Carol was there. She had fresh tears in her eyes and her eyes were red and puffy. She didn't even look at me but she knew I was there. "If anyone asks, tell them I went for a walk. I won't be back for a while." I told her. I walked off and I could hear her calling for me, but I just kept walking. I entered the forest and I just kept walking and walking. I didn't stop until I realized I was at the corn field. Had I really walked that far? I stumbled through the field until I came across the walkers that I killed earlier. There were flies buzzing around them and the stench was almost unbearable. I grabbed one of the walkers, flipped it onto its back and climbed on top of it. I took my knife out of its holster and watched as the sun gleamed off of the blade. I poked the tip of the blade and a drop of blood slid down my finger. I wiped the blood onto my pants, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. I opened my eyes again and stabbed the walker in the stomach. I pulled the knife out and stabbed again. And again. And again. I just didn't stop. I kept stabbing and stabbing, releasing the anger from my body. I felt something hot on my face and I quickly felt the tears drip onto my hands. I continued stabbing for a long time. With each stab I let out an angry scream. Not one of those girly, high pitched screams, but a low, angry one. I looked up at the walker's face and I pictured Tom. _Stab. _Liam. _Stab. _Michael. _Stab. _Ian, Steve, Kyle, Simon. _Stab_. _Stab_. _Stab_. _Stab. _Flashbacks of that horrible day ran through my mind. I lifted the knife above my head, clutching on to it with two hands. I swung the knife down as hard as I could and it pierced through its heart.

I didn't pull the knife out; I let it stay in that disgusting thing's heart. I got off of it and rolled onto my back. It was then that I realized how tired I was. All of that stabbing made me exhausted. I stared up at the clouds, watching them slowly float by. I watched as a crow flew in circles in the sky, completely oblivious to this world. '_I wish I was a bird. I wouldn't have to worry about any of this. I would just fly.' _I thought. My mind wandered back to one of my favourite movies, The Notebook. I pictured Noah and Allie in the water, when Noah turns to her and says, "If you're a bird, I'm a bird." I giggled. They're so stupid. How could they ever expect to just magically turn into birds? I started laughing even more, until I was laughing hysterically and uncontrollably. Just like the stabbing, I couldn't stop. After a while my laughter started to fade, until it stopped altogether. Maybe I should stay here. I'll just stay here and never go back. I have my knife. I'll just start walking and survive on my own, and when the time comes, I'll die. That seems like such a simple idea. That's it, I won't go back. My mind drifted to Sam, but for once I didn't care. I was done trying to please everybody. If he was upset, so be it. I'm sure the rest of the group will be happy I'm gone. I've caused enough problems. Ever since they took me in all I ever seemed to do was cause trouble. Always starting drama and keeping secrets. They wouldn't want me back, would they? I mean, I'm worthless. My old group just used me and dumped me. All they wanted was someone to help them with their "needs".

I felt something drip onto my face. I reached up and realize it was water. I wasn't crying, was I? I shouldn't be, I'm sure I already cried myself dry. I felt another drop, and another. I realized it was raining. The sun was now covered by grey and gloomy clouds. Another drop. The cool water felt refreshing on my hot skin. '_Rain some more. Come on, rain some more!' _I thought. "RAIN!" I screamed. I let out a growl when I realize only a few drops were falling from the sky. I groaned, reached over, and pulled my knife from that _thing's _chest. I stood up and started walking. I didn't know where I was going, I just let my legs carry me. I was in the forest again, walking through the maze of trees and bushes. Just then, I heard someone let out an angry cry. I stopped and turned right, heading toward the noise. I finally found the source; it was Carol ripping plants out of the ground. I didn't try to stop her. I just stood there, watching. She grew angrier and her sobs echoed through the air. She finally stopped and sunk onto the ground, crying quietly. She still hadn't noticed me, so I decided to leave. It would be easier than explaining to her that I wasn't going back. I turned and started walking into the forest when I heard her voice behind me.

"Jenny?" She asked quietly.

I sighed and turned around. She looked disgusted when she saw me. I looked down and realized I was covered in blood and dirt. I'm sure my face and hair looked just as bad.

"Jenny, what did you do? Did you kill a walker?"

"Something like that." I replied. I headed into the woods.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"Away."

"Away where?"

"I don't know. Just away."

"The group's worried about you. I heard about your, uh, outburst. They had a funeral for Sophia. We should go back." She took my hand and started pulling me.

I ripped my hand from her grasp. "You know what Carol? Maybe I don't want to go back! They don't want me. I'm just a worthless little bitch who causes a lot of unnecessary problems. It would be easier if I left. Tell Sam I said goodbye."

She had a shocked expression on her face, but it quickly washed away and her motherly instincts kicked in. She grabbed me by the shoulders. "You have to go back. You _need_ to. _Sam_ needs you. You have done a lot for the group. You found Sophia's trail, you help out with the housework, and you help protect the group. You saved Carl's life! You are valuable to the group. Now you're going to come back to the farm right now young lady, or I will drag you there kicking and screaming if I have to!"

I knew there was no point in arguing with her, she would win. She reminded me of my mother before my parents got divorced. "Fine. But if they ever come near me again I'll leave."

She was clearly confused. "Who are they?"

I paled a little when I realized what I had said. "No one."

She gave me a look. "Tell me. Now."

"Well, there were these guys at my old camp. After my dad died they, um…"

"They what?!"

"Ask Sam, Glenn or T-dog. I don't want to explain it again. They're the only ones that know."

She looked hesitant, but she didn't press me for any more answers. "Alright, let's go." She took my hand and dragged me back to camp.

When we arrived, Shane was at the water pump. He took one look at us and rushed over. "What the hell happened to you two?!"

I didn't reply, I just gave him a glare and walked off. When I reached the tents, everyone came rushing up to me. I was bombarded with questions like, "What happened?" and "Are you okay?" It was too overwhelming for me. I felt like I was being suffocated. I was about to lose it again when Sam stepped toward me. "Jenny?" He asked quietly. I looked down, feeling tears start to sting in my eyes. "Jenny, look at me." I quickly blinked the tears away and looked up at him. "Tell me what happened." I didn't say anything, I kind of zoned out. "Jenny, you're scaring me. Say something."

Instead of saying anything, I took his hand and pulled him from the rest of the group. I stopped once I arrived at the spot where we had our picnic. He looked at me for an answer. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. I felt a lump in my throat and tears threatened to spill down my face. I broke out into loud sobs. I felt his strong arms wrap around me, and I cried into his chest.


	16. Disappearences

**Hey guys. There are a few things I want to cover before you start chapter 16. First, I haven't gotten any reviews for the last few chapters and it's really bothering me. It makes me feel like you guys don't like the story and I'm trying to improve my writing as much as I can but it's hard to do that when I don't know what I'm doing right or wrong. So please, give me a review. It literally takes a minute, and they always make me smile. Second, I have a bunch of new ideas, so these next few chapters will have a lot of drama and stuff! Third, if I get reviews, I'll update within a few days. If I don't get reviews, I won't update for weeks. Your choice! Sorry if I seem bitchy but I'm just trying to improve and make people happy with my writing! Anyway, enough of me talking! Here's chapter 16.**

I felt warm and protected in Sam's embrace. He was whispering comforting things in my ear in an attempt to calm me down. It was working, because after a while, my loud sobs turned into silent tears. After what felt like forever, he broke the hug. I was saddened by this but I didn't let it show. He took my hands in his, which made me feel a million times better. He looked me in the eyes, and with a worried expression asked, "So, do you mind telling me why you're covered in blood and dirt?"

I cracked a small smile. "Let's just say I was… letting my anger out."

He had a conflicted expression on his face. "Would I even want to know?"

I sighed. "Probably not." I noticed that my crying had stopped completely now.

"We should probably go and let the others know that you're okay. They all seemed really freaked out."

"Yeah." He kept one hand interlocked with mine. "Before we go, could you do something for me?"

"Of course, anything you need." He said.

I hesitated for a moment. "Kiss me."

He smiled and looked into my eyes. I swear I could melt every time I looked into those beautiful blue eyes of his. He leaned in slowly, and finally I felt his lips pressed to mine. It was a soft and gentle kiss, not too long but not too short either. When we pulled apart, we both smiled at each other before turning around and walked towards camp together, hand in hand.

* * *

When we reached the tents, everyone seemed to avoid us. I wasn't surprised considering I looked like a walker. Maggie hesitantly walked up to me and told me I could shower and wash up. I grabbed some clothes from my tent and walked into the house with Sam. Apparently when I was gone Beth went into some sort of shock. Hershel left the farm and is supposedly in the local bar. Rick and Glenn went to look for him and they still weren't back yet. Geez, you miss a lot when you're out visiting crazy town.

Sam went off to the stables while I showered. I turned on the water, took off my clothes and looked in the mirror. I was shocked at how bad I looked. My hair was in a huge tangled mess and I was covered with blood and dirt. I stepped into the shower. The water was cold, but I liked it. It made me feel numb. Feeling numb was a nice thing. It let you escape from all the emotion you previously felt. Sometimes, when my emotions become too much, I try to turn them off somehow. It would never really work, but it was better than before.

I combed my fingers through my hair, trying to get out as many knots as possible. When I was finished, I tried to scrub my body free of dirt. Once I was satisfied, I turned the water off and stepped out into the cool air. I wrapped a towel around me to dry myself off. I put on some jeans and a tank top, and towel dried my hair.

Once I was all clean and dry, I walked back to my tent to put my dirty clothes away. It's going to take forever to clean them. I'm sure as hell not looking forward to it.

I pretty much did nothing for the rest of the afternoon, I just read a book. I helped out with dinner, but I couldn't help but notice the absence of Lori. "Has anyone seen Lori?" I asked no one in particular.

The women just shook their heads. Where could she have gone? Shane looked at Carl. "Carl, when's the last time you saw your mom?"

Carl shrugged. "Sometime this afternoon."

"Do you think she went after them?" I asked.

"Shit." Shane said and stood up. We all walked outside and tried to figure out a plan. Carol went over to talk to Daryl. He's become distant after Sophia's death. He doesn't interact with anyone and he keeps to himself. It's sad to see.

Carol came back after about 10 minutes and told us that Lori asked Daryl to look for Rick and the others, but Daryl refused.

Shane sighed rubbed his face with his hands. "I'll go look for Lori and bring her back." Everyone agreed. Shane left shortly after.

"Why would Lori leave? I understand that she wanted to get Rick back, but she can't leave Carl!" Sam said to me quietly.

I shrugged. "Rick has risked his life for us countless times. She probably just wanted to make sure that he comes back again."

"So what are we supposed to do now? Just wait and hope that they all come back? Beth needs Hershel, shouldn't we go look?" Sam suggested.

"Right now, we eat. It's the only thing we can do. We can't go running off in the dark, it's not safe."

Sam nodded and the group headed back into the house to eat dinner. Dinner was quiet. Everyone was worried, and I could tell Carl was trying hard not to cry. The poor kid; both his parents just ran off. After everyone was finished and the dishes were clean, I decided to go for a walk. I was walking when I heard small whimpers. I followed the noise and came across Carl crying by Sophia's grave.

"Carl?" I asked quietly.

His head snapped up and he quickly wiped his eyes. "Jenny? What are you doing here?"

"I was out for a walk and I heard you." He nodded. It was silent for a moment before I walked over to him and sat down. "They're going to come back."

"You don't know that. There are a lot of scary things out there. I might never see them again." He said quietly.

I put my arm around his shoulder. "Don't worry. Shane will bring your mom back safe and sound, and hopefully your dad will be back soon."

"I hope. It's just-" His voice cracked and he stopped talking.

I pulled him into a hug. "It's okay Carl. You can let it out."

He started crying into my shoulder. "It's just that my dad always runs off. Every time he leaves I'm terrified that he'll never come back. And now my mom's gone too. It's just too much."

"Shh, it's okay. I'm always here for you." I liked Carl, he was like my little brother. "Just remember, the group – all of us – we're a family. Every single one of us is here for you. We all care about you. We'll do everything we can to get your parents back."

He broke the hug and smiled at me. "Thanks Jenny."

I smiled and ruffled his hair. "No problem kiddo. Let's head back, it's late and the group might think we ran off too."

We got up and saw a car pull up the long driveway. Carl and I exchanged a look before we both sprinted to the car. Shane exited the car, and the passenger door opened and Lori stumbled out. Her forehead was bloody and she had a few bruises. "Oh my God, what happened?!" Andrea asked.

"I was in an accident." Lori replied. Carl ran up and hugged his mom. "Where's Rick?" She asked as she looked around. No one said anything. "They're not back?" It was silent again. Lori looked at Shane. "Where are they?!"

Shane sighed. "Look I had to get you back here somehow." I rolled my eyes. It would be just like Shane to lie.

"You son of a bitch." Lori spat.

"Listen Lori, I have to make sure you're alright. I gotta make sure the baby's okay." My eyes widened. Lori's pregnant?!

"You're having a baby? Why didn't you tell me?" Carl asked.

Lori was lost for words. Dale walked up to her and took her inside.

Sam walked over to me with a confused expression on his face. "Did you know she was pregnant?" He asked.

I shook my head. "No, but one thing's for sure. Things are about to get a lot more interesting around here."

**Please review!**


End file.
